"Today, I can announce that the Government of Canada has signed two new agreements with Novavax and Johnson & Johnson to reserve millions of doses of the [coronavirus] vaccines they are developing", Trudeau said.
The agreement in principle with Novavax will see 76 million doses made available to Canadians, the biotechnology firm said in a statement. The preliminary contract with Johnson & Johnson reserves 38 million, according to Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand.
Novavax’s vaccine candidate is currently in Phase 2 of clinical trials in the United States, Australia, and South Africa.
The company said the deal is expected to be finalized pending approval of the vaccine candidate by Health Canada.
Should the deal be finalized, the delivery of the vaccine will begin starting in the second quarter of 2021, the statement said.
In total, through the agreements announced today and earlier this month with Pfizer and Moderna, Canada has reserved at least 88 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, according to Trudeau.
