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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

The Moderna plant in Laval delivers its first COVID-19 vaccines

Published September 19, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Radio-Canada
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Moderna’s Laval plant has delivered its first doses of messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines. The federal government hopes that the plant, which was built at a cost of $180 million with a $25 million investment from Quebec, will enable Canada to achieve pharmaceutical self-sufficiency.

“We will never find ourselves in this situation again,” said Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Mélanie Joly at a press conference on Friday, recalling that Canada had to rely on the United States, the European Union, and India for its vaccine supply during the pandemic.

“We are building a strong industrial capacity, a sovereign industrial capacity, which will ensure that we are not dependent on other countries for our vaccine production.”

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine is both approved and ‘made in Canada’

Published August 25, 2025

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Published by: Global News
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By Ari Rabinovitch

Health Canada has approved Moderna’s newly updated COVID-19 vaccine — and for the first time, the vaccines will be “made in Canada.”

The company says having the vaccine available from domestic manufacturers and suppliers creates a critical piece of health resilience to “ensure Canada is ready, not just reactive.”

“With this approval, for the first time ever, mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses for Canadians will be made in Canada. That’s a remarkable milestone,” Stefan Raos, general manager at Moderna, says in an emailed statement sent to Global News.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

Health Canada approves updated Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for fall

Published August 22, 2025

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Published by: The Canadian Press
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By Nicole Ireland

TORONTO – Health Canada has authorized updated COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and BioNTech and by Moderna for use this respiratory virus season.

Moderna says it will manufacture vaccine doses for the Canadian market in its new facility in Laval, Quebec and syringes will be filled in Cambridge, Ontario.

News releases from both Pfizer and Moderna say the new mRNA shots will target the LP.8.1 variant, a descendant of Omicron that the World Health Organization was monitoring earlier this year.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

Moderna Receives Health Canada Approval for Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Variant LP.8.1

Published August 22, 2025

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Published by: Access Newswire
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By Moderna

All 2025 pre-filled syringe doses to be made in Canada, marking a domestic production milestone

CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESS Newswire / August 22, 2025 / Moderna announced today that Health Canada has authorized its updated COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, Spikevax®, targeting the SARS-CoV-2 LP.8.1 variant, for individuals aged six months and older. Moderna is on track to deliver the updated vaccine in time for the 2025-2026 vaccination season.

All Spikevax pre-filled syringe (PFS) doses for the Canadian market will now be manufactured domestically, marking the first time Canada’s entire PFS format is produced at home. The drug substance will be produced at Moderna’s new facility in Laval, Quebec, with fill-finish operations completed by Novocol Pharma in Cambridge, Ontario. These Canadian-made doses are expected to be available for this fall.

“This approval is a regulatory milestone and a testament to Canada’s growing leadership in biomanufacturing and public health resilience,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. “Thanks to Health Canada’s timely and thorough review, we are proud to supply Spikevax doses to communities across the country, including, for the first time this year, doses produced in Canada.”

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Topic: pro-virus policiesView all posts for the topic: pro-virus policies

HHS scraps further work on life-saving mRNA vaccine platform

Published August 6, 2025

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Published by: CIDRAP
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By Mary Van Beusekom

In what experts say will hobble pandemic preparedness, US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. yesterday announced the dismantling of the country’s mRNA vaccine-development programs—the same innovation that allowed rapid scale-up of COVID-19 vaccines during the public health emergency.

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine-development contracts totaling just under $500 million, including an award to Moderna/University of Texas Medical Branch for a vaccine against the H5N1 avian flu now sweeping the world. That grant was terminated in late May.

Contracts awarded to Emory University and Tiba Biotech were cancelled, and agreements with Luminary Labs, ModeX, and Seqirus have been scaled back.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

Analysis: 2024-25 COVID vaccines offered strong protection against worst outcomes in seniors

Published July 31, 2025

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Published by: CIDRAP
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By Stephanie Soucheray

The 2024-25 COVID mRNA vaccines targeting JN.1 were highly effective in protecting against hospitalization and death for at least 4 months in a cohort of Danish citizens aged 65 and older by October 1, 2024. The new analysis estimating the vaccine efficacy (VE) of last season’s COVID vaccines was published earlier this week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

In total, 894,560 Danish residents were included in the study, with a median age of 76. By Jan 31, 2025, 820,229 (91.7%) of the participants had received a JN.1 vaccine. Among those without updated JN.1 vaccination (74,331), 278 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 84 deaths were observed during 25.6 million person-days.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

FDA approves Moderna COVID vaccine for kids under 12 at higher risk

Published July 10, 2025

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Published by: CIDRAP
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By Jim Wappes

Vaccine maker Moderna announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval of its Spikevax (mRNA-1273) COVID vaccine for children 6 months to 11 years old. But, because federal officials in May restricted its recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines to adults 65 and older and to people of all ages who are at increased risk for severe disease, Spikevax will be available only to kids in that age range who are at higher risk.

“COVID-19 continues to pose a significant potential threat to children, especially those with underlying medical conditions. Vaccination can be an important tool for protecting our youngest against severe disease and hospitalization,” said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel, MBA, MEng. “We appreciate the FDA’s diligent scientific review and approval of Spikevax for pediatric populations at increased risk for COVID-19 disease.”

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Topic: avian fluView all posts for the topic: avian flu

Cancelling funding for mRNA vaccine is both risky and foolish

Published June 2, 2025

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Published by: The Ottawa Citizen
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By Raywat Deonandan

With Donald Trump’s second administration, disruptive news seems to arise on a daily basis. Most concerning for clinicians and health scientists in Canada and around the world was Trump’s appointment of anti-vaccination zealot Robert Kennedy Jr. to the enormously influential position of Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy’s ideological dismantling of the U.S.’s vaunted health research apparatus has been at speeds surprising even to his most ardent critics.

But his recent decision to cancel a nearly $600-million contract with vaccine manufacturer Moderna might be among his most shortsighted and destructive moves, with ripple effects globally.

The contract with the mRNA pioneer, signed under the Joe Biden administration, was meant to fund the development, testing and licensing of vaccines targeting particular flu strains, including the strain responsible for the dreaded avian flu, H5N1. Many scientists fear that H5N1 could become the next world-stopping infectious disease pandemic.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

FDA approves a next-generation Covid vaccine from Moderna, with restrictions

Published May 31, 2025

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Published by: STAT
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By Helen Branswell

The Food and Drug Administration approved Moderna’s new Covid-19 vaccine late Friday, though it placed restrictions on its use that the company’s existing Covid shot, Spikevax, does not currently face.

The new vaccine, which will be marketed under the name mNexspike, will not immediately replace Spikevax. A statement from the company said both vaccines will be available on the market for the time being.

“The FDA approval of our third product, mNEXSPIKE, adds an important new tool to help protect people at high risk of severe disease from Covid-19,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in the statement. “Covid-19 remains a serious public health threat, with more than 47,000 Americans dying from the virus last year alone.”

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Topic: kakistocracyView all posts for the topic: kakistocracy

Loss Of MRNA, Bird Flu Vaccines Threatens Our Biosecurity

Published May 29, 2025

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Published by: Forbes
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By Judy Stone

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that it’s canceling a $760 million contract with Moderna for a bird flu vaccine, saying that further development “was not scientifically or ethically justifiable.” The cancellation comes after Moderna received positive interim data from a trial testing the safety and immunogenicity of its H5N1 bird flu vaccine candidate. The fact that the Biden administration had approved the contract with Moderna did not help.

This administration’s distrust of mRNA vaccines has been apparent. In February, Rep. Adam Schiff stated that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., “promoted the lie that mRNA vaccines alter human DNA.” Kennedy has previously called mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations dangerous. Further, at least seven states have proposed GOP-sponsored legislation banning or limiting mRNA vaccines and fueling mistrust in vaccines.

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Topic: anti-vaxxersView all posts for the topic: anti-vaxxers

Health secretary RFK Jr. declares certain vaccines have ‘never worked,’ flummoxing scientists

Published April 10, 2025

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Published by: STAT
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By Helen Branswell

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed another unorthodox view on vaccines, with the long-time vaccine critic declaring that vaccines for respiratory bugs that target a sole part of the pathogen they are meant to protect against do not work.

The claim was dismissed as erroneous by vaccine experts, who were befuddled by the secretary’s theory, espoused during an interview with CBS News.

Kennedy made the claim in explaining a controversial recent decision by political appointees at the Food and Drug Administration to delay granting a full license to Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine, which is still given under an emergency use authorization or EUA.

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Topic: NovavaxView all posts for the topic: Novavax

You’ve never heard of the Covid booster with the fewest side effects

Published December 18, 2024

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Published by: Vox
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By Keren Landman, MD

The first time I got a Novavax Covid vaccine, it felt almost subversive.

Over the previous few years, every mRNA-based booster I’d gotten — the ones made by Moderna and Pfizer — had felt like a two-day bout of the flu. I’d gamely booked sick days into my calendar and sucked it up through fevers, headaches, and exhaustion, comforting myself with ibuprofen and the knowledge that at least I was keeping my elderly parents safe.

Two and a half years into the pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration approved a Covid vaccine made by biotech company Novavax using older vaccine production technology. Licensed for people 12 and over, it was nearly as effective at Covid prevention as Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines — and, as I noted with great interest, it had fewer side effects. In 2023, I got one.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

COVID-19 boosters start rolling out to some Canadians. Who can get them?

Published October 4, 2024

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Published by: Global News
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By Saba Aziz

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are starting to roll out to some high-risk Canadians, but others will have to wait a little while longer before these new shots are offered to them.

Last month, Health Canada approved Pfizer and Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccines targeting the most recent variants of the virus.

Both shots are approved for everyone aged six months and older.

The new mRNA vaccines from both pharmaceutical companies target the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron that was dominating COVID-19 spread earlier this year.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

For Canadians seeking a non-mRNA COVID vaccine, lack of Novavax shot is ‘unfair,’ advocates say

Published October 3, 2024

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Published by: CTV News / The Canadian Press
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By Hannah Alberga, Nicole Ireland

The federal government’s decision to not provide Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine this respiratory virus season raises health equity concerns, experts and advocates say, as some Canadians look to the U.S. to get the shot.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said it won’t provide the protein-based vaccine called Nuvaxovid because the manufacturer required a minimum order that far exceeds last year’s uptake of the vaccine.

The health agency said 125,000 Nuvaxovid doses were ordered in 2023, but only 5,529 were administered. This fall, it will only supply provinces and territories with the reformulated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

But some Canadians who say they are immunocompromised and have had adverse reactions to the mRNA vaccines are calling the decision unfair.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

Canadian government not ordering Novavax’s protein-based COVID-19 vaccine this year

Published October 1, 2024

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Published by: The Canadian Press
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By Nicole Ireland

TORONTO – The Public Health Agency of Canada says it is not providing Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine this respiratory virus season, citing low demand.

It says the manufacturer requires a minimum order of its updated protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, which far exceeds the uptake by Canadians last year.

The agency says a very small portion of the doses ordered in 2023 were used and that its decision reflects efforts to limit vaccine wastage.

It is distributing two mRNA vaccines — made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — that are approved for adults and children six months and older.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated COVID-19 vaccine

Published September 24, 2024

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Published by: The Canadian Press
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By Nicole Ireland, Hannah Alberga

Health Canada approved Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, marking its third authorization of vaccine formulations that protect against the most recently circulating variants of the virus.

Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine, called Comirnaty, targets the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron, replacing the previous version that targeted the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant.

The approval of Comirnaty follows last week’s authorization of Moderna’s updated Spikevax mRNA vaccine and Novavax’s updated protein-based vaccine, Nuvaxovid.

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Topic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta

Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine is coming to Alberta, but Novavax shots are not

Published September 23, 2024

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Published by: CBC News
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By Jennifer Lee

With the approval of Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine, doctors are hoping the shots will be available soon and Albertans will opt to roll up their sleeves to get one.

Last week, Health Canada announced it had authorized Moderna’s new formulation, which targets the recent KP.2 subvariant, and that shipments would arrive within days.

A decision on Pfizer’s new formulation is expected in the next few weeks.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

No good option: These Canadians want to be protected against COVID but are unhappy with the choice of vaccines this fall

Published September 13, 2024

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Published by: Investigative Journalism Foundation
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By Tori Marlan

The federal government has decided against procuring a protein-based COVID-19 vaccine for the fall immunization campaign — despite it being the only type that some immunocompromised people say they have been able to tolerate.

While the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna are effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death, some people with autoimmune diseases say the jabs can come with a terrible trade-off.

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