PHAC explains reason for pulling COVID-19 vaccines before new ones approved

The Public Health Agency of Canada says it asked provinces to get rid of existing COVID-19 vaccines to avoid confusion with new formulations that will have the same drug identification number. 

Health Canada says it is reviewing updated COVID-19 vaccines that essentially modify the current shot to target a more recent strain of the virus for an expected fall rollout.

That’s opposed to waiting for an entirely new formulation that would carry a different number but take longer to develop from scratch and slow down the approval process. 

PHAC’s vice-president of infectious diseases and vaccination programs branch is explaining the plan after some pharmacists and doctors said it could leave gaps in vaccine access that could span weeks.

Dr. Donald Sheppard says this is the practice with other regularly updated vaccines, including those for influenza. 

Sheppard says we’ve entered a similarly routine phase for COVID-19 vaccinations, noting the past several shots have been updated versions of previous formulations.

The federal agency released a directive to provinces and territories last month to dispose of vaccine stocks that target the previously-dominant XBB.1.5 variant, before formulations targeting JN.1 or KP.2 are approved and distributed. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024. 

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