Category: Covid-19

Medicago to Supply Covid-19 Vaccine Candidate

Photo: Arek Socha from Pixabay
Medicago, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Quebec City, Canada, has reached an agreement with Public Services and Procurement Canada to supply up to 76 million doses of its vaccine candidate for Covid-19, subject to Health Canada approval.
Innovation, Science & Economic Development, another department of the Canadian federal government, will contribute CAD173 million ($131 million) to Medicago to support its ongoing vaccine development and clinical trials, and for the construction of its Quebec City manufacturing facility.
Since 2008, Philip Morris Investments B.V. (PMIBV), a subsidiary of Philip Morris International (PMI), has been a shareholder of Medicago (in which it currently holds an approximately one-third equity stake) and has supported Medicago’s innovative plant-derived research and development focused on vaccines.
The investment is consistent with PMI’s own efforts to leverage science and innovation. Japan-based Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) is the majority shareholder and PMIBV’s partner in Medicago. Among other things, PMIBV and MTPC will contribute additional funding to support Medicago’s efforts to develop a Covid-19 vaccine candidate.
“We welcome the collaboration announced between two departments of the Canadian government and Medicago to accelerate its efforts against Covid-19,” said PMI CEO André Calantzopoulos in a statement.
“Better outcomes can be achieved when governments and companies join efforts to promote shared objectives for the greater good. We are pleased to be able to support Medicago’s work to develop, substantiate, manufacture, and make available a Covid-19 vaccine candidate. We all hope they will be successful.”
Medicago began Phase 1 testing on volunteers on July 14 and is anticipating that Phase 2 trials will begin in early November 2020. If Phase 2 trials are successful, Phase 3 trials are expected to begin in December 2020.
October 24, 2020
UKVIA: Stanford Vaping Study ‘Fundamentally Flawed’

Contrary to what its authors suggest, a recent study led by Stanford University fails to demonstrate a causative relationship between vaping and Covid-19 infection, according to the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine recently found that among young people who were tested for the coronavirus, those who vaped were five times to seven times more likely to be infected than those who did not use e-cigarettes.
“Whilst we welcome any research which can assist people in staying safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, the UKVIA is disappointed by the Stanford-led study which appears to dismiss the vital harm-reduction role of vaping for smokers. The study draws disproportionate conclusions, is fundamentally flawed and inconclusive,” said John Dunne, director of the UKVIA.
“While the leader of the study, Dr. Shivani Gaiha, has attempted to account for study participants ‘sheltering in place,’ this metric is self-reported and as such may be unreliable.
“Dr. Gaiha’s study also considers ‘ever-use’ to indicate that a person is a vaper. When this is corrected for those who were vaping within 30-days of a Covid-19 diagnosis, the connection between vaping and the virus is no longer significant. To suggest that any use of a vaping product dramatically increases the chances of contracting Covid-19 is therefore a gross exaggeration.”
“Furthermore, the UKVIA is concerned to see the researchers taking a partial approach to this research and calling upon regulation as a result of dubious findings. Putting such a call out on the back of the research seriously calls into question its purpose.”
Dunne also noted that the issue of youth vaping observed in some other countries is not representative of the situation in the U.K.
August 18, 2020
U.S. Lawmakers Urge E-cigarette Ban During Pandemic

Credit: Tomkohhantsuk – Pixabay
Lawmakers have called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take e-cigarettes temporarily off the market during the pandemic, citing a new study suggesting that vapers are significantly more likely to contract Covid-19.
“If we reduce the number of vapers in America, we will reduce the unnecessary stress we are putting on our testing system,” Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote in a letter sent to the FDA by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy. “People should not have to wait weeks for Covid-19 test results—removing the risk posed by vaping will help.”
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that among young people who were tested for the coronavirus, those who vaped were five to seven times more likely to be infected than those who did not use e-cigarettes.
The study, which was published online Aug. 11 in the Journal of Adolescent Health, is the first to examine connections between youth vaping and Covid-19 using U.S. population-based data collected during the pandemic.
“Young people may believe their age protects them from contracting the virus or that they will not experience symptoms of Covid-19, but the data show this isn’t true among those who vape,” said the study’s lead author, Shivani Mathur Gaiha.
“This study tells us pretty clearly that youth who are using vapes or are dual-using are at elevated risk, and it’s not just a small increase in risk; it’s a big one,” Gaiha said.
Remarkably, the researchers did not find a connection between Covid-19 diagnosis and smoking conventional cigarettes alone, perhaps because the prevalent pattern among youth is to use both vaping devices and traditional cigarettes. Other research has shown that nearly all nicotine-using youth vape, and some also smoke cigarettes, but very few use cigarettes only.
In addition to warning teenagers and young adults about the dangers of vaping, the researchers said they hoped their findings will prompt the FDA to further tighten regulations governing how vaping products are sold to young people.
“Now is the time,” said senior author Halpern-Felsher. “We need the FDA to hurry up and regulate these products. And we need to tell everyone: If you are a vaper, you are putting yourself at risk for Covid-19 and other lung disease.”
Vaping advocates expressed concern about the study.
“While we welcome any research which can assist people in staying safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, the UKVIA is disappointed by the Stanford-led study, which appears to dismiss the vital harm-reduction role of vaping for smokers, and draws disproportionate conclusions,” said John Dunne, director at the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).
Insisting there is no scientific evidence linking smoking and vaping with Covid-19, Dunne said the UKVIA was looking forward to seeing the peer review of the Stanford study.
“It is also somewhat reckless in stating that vapers are putting themselves ‘at risk of Covid-19’ by vaping,” he said. “Vaping products are designed only for smokers and ex-smokers to help them quit conventional cigarettes, which is the most positive action someone can take to improve their health.”
August 12, 2020
Lawmakers Urge Ban on E-Cigs During Pandemic

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Lawmakers have called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take e-cigarettes temporarily off the market during the pandemic, citing a new study suggesting that vapers are significantly more likely to contract Covid-19.

Raja Krishnamoorthi
“If we reduce the number of vapers in America, we will reduce the unnecessary stress we are putting on our testing system,” Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote in a letter sent to the FDA by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy. “People should not have to wait weeks for Covid-19 test results—removing the risk posed by vaping will help.”

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that among young people who were tested for the coronavirus, those who vaped were five times to seven times more likely to be infected than those who did not use e-cigarettes.

The study, which was published online Aug. 11 in the Journal of Adolescent Health, is the first to examine connections between youth vaping and Covid-19 using U.S. population-based data collected during the pandemic.

“Young people may believe their age protects them from contracting the virus or that they will not experience symptoms of Covid-19, but the data show this isn’t true among those who vape,” said the study’s lead author, Shivani Mathur Gaiha.

“This study tells us pretty clearly that youth who are using vapes or are dual-using are at elevated risk, and it’s not just a small increase in risk; it’s a big one,” Gaiha said.

Remarkably, the researchers did not find a connection between Covid-19 diagnosis and smoking conventional cigarettes alone, perhaps because the prevalent pattern among youth is to use both vapor devices and traditional cigarettes. Other research has shown that nearly all nicotine-using youth vape, and some also smoke cigarettes, but very few use cigarettes only.

In addition to warning teenagers and young adults about the dangers of vaping, the researchers said they hoped their findings will prompt the FDA to further tighten regulations governing how vapor products are sold to young people.

“Now is the time,” said senior author Halpern-Felsher. “We need the FDA to hurry up and regulate these products. And we need to tell everyone: If you are a vaper, you are putting yourself at risk for Covid-19 and other lung disease.”

John Dunne
Vaping advocates expressed concern about the study.

“While we welcome any research which can assist people in staying safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, the UKVIA [U.K. Vaping Industry Association] is disappointed by the Stanford-led study, which appears to dismiss the vital harm reduction role of vaping for smokers and draws disproportionate conclusions,” said John Dunne, director at the UKVIA.

Insisting there is no scientific evidence linking smoking and vaping with Covid-19, Dunne said the UKVIA was looking forward to seeing the peer review of the Stanford study.

“It is also somewhat reckless in stating that vapers are putting themselves ‘at risk of Covid-19’ by vaping,” he said. “Vaping products are designed only for smokers and ex-smokers to help them quit conventional cigarettes, which is the most positive action someone can take to improve their health.”
August 12, 2020
Medicago Starts Human Trials of Covid-19 Vaccine

Photo: Dimitri Houtteman from Pixabay
Medicago, a Quebec-based biotechnology company backed by Philip Morris International as well as other large investors, has begun human testing for its Covid-19 vaccine, reports Bloomberg.
The vaccine is derived from the plant nicotiana benthamiana, a close relative to tobacco, to provoke an immune response to the virus.
Medicago’s human trials will involve 180 patients ages 18 to 55. It will test various doses of the vaccine, both alone and combined with two adjuvants—one from GlaxoSmithKline and another from Dynavax Technologies.
If the trial is successful, Medicago plans to start late-stage trials in October and manufacture 100 million doses by the end of next year.
July 15, 2020
VPZ Donates £100,000 to Help Frontline Workers Quit Smoking

In an effort to help front-line workers quit combustible cigarettes, VPZ is donating £100,000 worth of products. VPZ, the UK’s largest vape retailer, said the initiative was started in order to show appreciation for these workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Key workers including police officers, NHS staff and blue light card holders will all be able to benefit from free products as the company says thank you to the frontline people that were tackling the virus head on, according to a press note.
“It has been a long and difficult fight against this pandemic, and it is has been in large part the work of front line staff that we are beginning to see parts of the country reopen and a sense of normality return, said Doug Mutter, director for VPZ. “Now that we have been open for nearly a month, we had a discussion with the all our staff to see how we could give back to the people that have been supporting us, now just as a business but also in keeping us safe during the lockdown. So, we all agreed to offer free products to the front-line staff.”
Mutter says that there is no catch, and the initiative is just a simple thank you. Customers only need to visit VPZ’s website, register with their photo ID card. Customers will then be emailed a voucher that can redeem in any VPZ store.
There is a wide range of devices available from beginner devices to advanced mods.
“We have tried to cater for as many different types of vapers as we can. We know many front-line workers have wanted to quit smoking but not had the time or opportunity to test out devices to find the right one for them,” said Mutter. “”Our customers and each of their unique requirements are always top of mind, with that we’ve made sure that even on a free giveaway, customers can choose from a range of devices that will suit their specific needs.”
Mutter says the greatest challenge for many smokers is finding the right advice and guidance with vape stores being closed during lockdown. Many customers have turned back to smoking so it is critical for VPZ to offer as many options as possible to help them quit tobacco for good, said Mutter.
“Stop smoking services have also been slashed across the country and with us now re-open we have a lot of smokers who are looking to quit but are stuck without proper guidance,” he said. “We know that a lot of smokers have used the lockdown as a time to finally quit smoking, but front line workers have been very busy so we hope that our donation can go some way to helping any who do smoke an opportunity to use this offer for them to quit and our way of saying thank you.”
Customers can check their eligibility and register for their free product here: https://vpz.co.uk/pages/key-workers-device-giveaway?mc_cid=58a0d0cea4&mc_eid=[UNIQID]. Once registered customers will receive an email voucher which can be redeemed in any of VPZ’s more than 150 stores in the UK.
July 14, 2020
Trump Officially Withdraws U.S. From WHO

It’s official. The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization. The news comes as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to grip the globe and infections spike across the U.S.
Withdraw requires a years notice, so it will not go into effect until July 6, 2021. This raises the possibility the action could be overturned.
Congress received formal notification of the decision on Tuesday, more than a month after President Donald Trump announced his intention to end the U.S. relationship with the WHO and blasted the multilateral institution as a tool of China, according to an article in USA Today.
Democrats said the decision was irresponsible and ill-considered, noting it comes as the pandemic is raging and international cooperation is vital to confront the crisis.
“This won’t protect American lives or interests – it leaves Americans sick & America alone,” Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted after receiving the White House’s notification. “To call Trump’s response to Covid chaotic & incoherent doesn’t do it justice.”
The formal withdrawal comes as the United States nears 3 million reported coronavirus cases and more than 130,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Globally, there have been 11.6 million cases and almost 540,000 deaths, according to the story.
Trump and his advisers have blasted the WHO for failing to press China to be more transparent about the scope and severity of the Covid-19 outbreak, which began in Wuhan, China.
Trump has said that China “has total control” over the WHO, even though it contributes far less than the US to the health organization’s budget. The U.S. has contributed approximately $450 million dollars a year, according to the story.
Amanda Glassman, a public health expert and executive vice president of the Center for Global Development think tank, noted the world doesn’t just face today’s threat of Covid-19 but also the threat of future pandemics, which are more likely because of increased zoonotic transmission.

July 7, 2020
UKVIA Wants Tax Parity With NRTs for Vapor

A vapor industry advocacy group is calling for the UK government to consider a similar VAT rate for vaping that currently applies to nicotine replacement therapies (NRT). The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is calling upon government as the Chancellor of the Exchequer is widely reported to be looking at reducing the VAT rates in the wake of the coronavirus as the Government last did during the 2008 economic downturn, according to a press release.
In a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, the UKVIA urges the government to consider a level playing field in regard to the VAT rate between NRT and vaping products, to support adult smokers who would otherwise not quit smoking to make the switch to vaping, the release states.
The letter points to the recent Public Health England (PHE) Vaping in England Report that found that when vaping products were used in an attempt to quit, either alone or with licensed medication, success rates were comparable to, if not higher than, NRTs alone.
The current VAT chasm between NRT products (5 percent) and vaping (the full 20 percent VAT and the same as conventional cigarettes) despite the fact that e-cigarettes, whilst not considered a cessation product, have significant potential to have a positive impact on public health. “This is backed up by research commissioned by the NHS last year which revealed that e-cigs are twice as effective as nicotine patches, gum or sprays for quitting smoking,” according to the release.
John Dunne, director at UKVIA, said the vaping sector has been a “major retail success story this century and is playing a major role in getting smokers to quit, thereby helping cut the huge annual cost of healthcare” that is often associated with smoking.
“Yet according to research nearly 1 in 10 smokers do not switch to e-cigarettes because they considered them to cost too much,” he said. “Ensuring that the price of vaping products remains much lower than cigarettes is vitally important in continuing to encourage the some 7m smokers in the UK, who otherwise do not quit, to make the switch.”
He goes on to explain that the UK is still in the recovery phase of Covid-19 and a significant VAT reduction for vape products would pay back both economically and from a healthcare perspective.
“A VAT rate for vaping on par with NRT would also support the call in the recent PHE report for smokers to be encouraged to try regulated nicotine vaping products along with smoking cessation medications and behavioural support to increase their chances of successfully stopping smoking,” he said.
July 2, 2020
Nicotine Effective for Covid-19 at Most Virulent Stage

Nicotine can help battle Covid-19, according to new research. A Spanish study found that the drug that can be found in vapor products can be an effective tool in stopping coronavirus in its most virulent phase.
Researchers at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, working with the public hospitals of Alcazar de San Juan, Avila and Salamanca, made the discovery. According to the study, while smokers are more vulnerable to catching Covid-19 due to damaged and weakened lungs, less of them end up in hospital or ICUs compared to non-smokers.
Researchers say this is because the nicotine in their system can act as an inhibitor, stopping Covid’s cytokines from inflaming the lungs, which often proves fatal. The study analyzed patients across the three hospitals during the peak of the pandemic, according to a story on politicopathy.com.
Investigators discovered that there were far fewer numbers of habitual smokers than expected. This, the study suggests, is because the chemical can prevent a so-called cytokine storm, which can lead to respiratory failure and the attack of healthy tissues, causing multi-organ failure.
Several other studies, including in Israel, the U.S. and the U.K., have also suggested that nicotine could be beneficial in fighting the virus. “Nicotine has effects on the immune system that could be beneficial in reducing the intensity of the cytokine storm,” said Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, from the University of West Attica, Greece, writing in Internal and Emergency Medicine in June.
“The potential benefits of nicotine…. could explain, at least in part, the increased severity or adverse outcome among smokers hospitalised for COVID-19 since these patients inevitably experience abrupt cessation of nicotine intake during hospitalization,” says Farsalinos. “This may be feasible through repurposing already approved pharmaceutical nicotine products such as nicotine patches.”
July 1, 2020
Arizona Bar Bans Vapor Over Covid-19 Concerns

Photo: Vchalup | Dreamstime.com
A bar in Chandler, Arizona is asking customers to vape outside because they worry vape clouds could spread Covid-19. The bar, Tom Ryan’s, recently took to their social media pages to inform customers that vaping was no longer allowed indoors.
Bar manager Paige Lokkessmoe said that after seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases it wasn’t sitting well with them to allow people to keep vaping inside, according to an article on azfamily.com. Numerous public health experts, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said there is no evidence e-cigarette vapor spreads Covid.19
“We decided to stop allowing vaping in the bar because we were, kind of, just looking at the vaping smoke and seeing it settle everywhere around us. And the concern is the ice [and] the bottles that have pour spouts on them,” Lokkessmoe said.
According to Dan Quan, a toxicologist from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, the droplets that people produce when they sneeze or cough are the same as when they exhale, say, a cloud of smoke.
“Let’s say I take a deep breathe in and I exhale forcibly, I mean, there are still some droplets that form– and that’s why we suggest everyone wear masks because it does cut down on the amount of droplets dispersed in the air,” Quan said, adding that if you’re going to vape, take it outside because the fresh air will help dilute the droplets. Vaping and smoking will still be allowed on the patio at Tom Ryan’s.
June 26, 2020