Canadian drugmaker says its COVID-19 vaccine is effective

UNDATED (AP)- A Canadian drugmaker says its plant-based COVID-19 vaccine showed strong protection against the coronavirus. Medicago said Tuesday (Dec. 7, 2021) that its two-dose vaccine was 71% effective at preventing COVID-19 infection in a large, late-stage study. It included several circulating variants, but not the emerging omicron variant. The company’s technology uses plants to grow virus-like particles, which mimic the spike protein that coats the coronavirus. The company will soon seek approval from Health Canada and has begun the process to file with regulators in the U.S., U.K. and other countries. It’s also preparing to send its data to the World Health Organization.