BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: In November 2020, the Canadian federal government announced a new COVID-19 vaccine collaboration with Mitsubishi Pharma and tobacco giant Philip Morris. The government approved US$230 million in funding for Medicago Inc.—a Quebec-based vaccine developer that the two corporations wholly owned.
Tobacco control stakeholders around the world reacted strongly to the news of the vaccine collaboration. Over 30 civil society organizations signed a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging the government to end its partnership with Philip Morris and direct the funds to other vaccine producers without ties to the tobacco industry. The letter pointed to Canada’s blatant violation of Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Despite the reaction from civil society and substantial negative global publicity, the government fast-tracked the regulatory review of the vaccine, which Health Canada approved for domestic distribution in February 2022. After receiving Canadian approval, Medicago applied to WHO to seek approval for global distribution through COVAX.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: Following a successful 16-month advocacy campaign led by ASH Canada and other NGOs, the WHO rejected Medicago’s application in March 2022 on the grounds that the vaccine violated the WHO’s policy to avoid tobacco industry collaborations.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: Philip Morris was removed from the collaboration in December 2022, and Mitsubishi Pharma assumed its stake in the company. In May 2023, Mitsubishi Pharma announced that it was dissolving Medicago and washing its hands of the vaccine. Parliamentary hearings into the Medicago collaboration were convened in late 2023 after the government reported further related financial losses. In December 2024, the Canadian government released cross-government guidelines to comply with Article 5.3 of the FCTC.
CONCLUSIONS: Canada’s controversial collaboration with Philip Morris is a hard lesson for all governments. Governments must strictly adhere to FCTC Article 5.3 to shield themselves from tobacco industry manipulation and collaborations.