Diane Francis: Made-in-Canada vaccine announcement was little more than smoke and mirrors - Financial Post

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This is too little, too late, according to one of the world’s most successful pharmaceutical entrepreneurs, Leslie Dan, who founded the Toronto-based pharmaceutical company Novopharm, which he sold to Teva Pharmaceutical in 2000. He also ran Viventia Biotech, which is involved in cancer research and treatments, and owned a vaccine manufacturing company, which was sold to Glaxo. In other words, he knows what he’s talking about, and he sees this week’s announcements as highly problematic.

“What does the PM know about vaccine manufacturing plants?” Dan said in an interview with the National Post. “The setting up of a vaccine plant to treat COVID is a highly specialized operation, even if the know-how is provided.

“It will likely take at least two years by the time the Canadian-first vaccine will roll off. By that time, many changes may happen, such as the virus may be gone or further mutate, or there will be no more major vaccine needs, or many more well-established vaccine manufacturers will gear up production and provide excessive amounts of vaccines at highly competitive prices.”

How many lives will be lost as this government continues to fumble and flounder?

Novopharm founder Leslie Dan

Dan believes the public is entitled to know when we can realistically expect to see Canadian-made doses of vaccine roll off the assembly line and how much it will end up costing taxpayers. “I am not saying that Canada should not have a vaccine plant,” he clarified. “I merely emphasize the absolute need to do a thorough and comprehensive feasibility study before we plunge into a project, which may well be a Johnny-come-lately undertaking, which is the trademark of our PM.”

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2021-02-04 20:04:45Z
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