Canada’s Government Will Not be Procuring Novavax’s Protein-Based COVID-19 Vaccine in 2021
The Public Health Agency of Canada announces that it will not be offering Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine during this respiratory virus season due to low demand.
According to the agency, the manufacturer requires a minimum order for its updated protein-based vaccine, Nuvaxovid, which exceeds the number of Canadians who used it last year.
Only a small portion of the doses ordered in 2023 were used, prompting the agency’s decision to minimize vaccine wastage.
The agency is instead distributing two mRNA vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which are approved for both adults and children six months and older.
Both vaccines have been reformulated to target the newly circulating KP.2 subvariant of Omicron.
Novavax’s vaccine, approved by Health Canada last month for individuals aged 12 and above, was considered an alternative to mRNA vaccines.
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Provinces and territories have the option to directly order the vaccine, now updated to target the JN.1 subvariant of Omicron, from the manufacturer.
Several provinces, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia, P.E.I., and Newfoundland and Labrador, have confirmed that they will not be placing orders for Nuvaxovid.
In an email statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada stated that their contract with Novavax only provides access to domestically produced vaccines, which the company could not confirm for the upcoming season.
The agency explained that the minimum order requirement was based on purchasing Novavax vaccines produced internationally.
The public health agency cited low demand for Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine in Canada in previous years, noting that out of 125,000 ordered doses of the Novavax XBB.1.5 vaccine in 2023, only 5,529 were administered.
In responses to The Canadian Press via email, Novavax verified that their updated vaccine was manufactured outside of Canada and heavily relied on a supply agreement with Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd.
