Canada has a cure for COVID, but it is not used
What's the reason?
AbCellera, a Vancouver-based biotechnology company, has developed a drug for COVID-19. The drug is approved by Health Canada but is not yet used in the country.
"In Canada, the drug was quickly approved. The federal government signed a supply agreement with us back in November," says Dr. Carl Hansen, co-founder and CEO of AbCellera.
However, further distribution of the medicine has stalled at the provincial and territorial levels. The committees that decide on the use of the medicine in the regions of Canada are taking their time because they want more data on clinical trials.
AbCellera's development of the drug Bamlanivimab is based on antibody treatment, it acts as artificial immunity. According to Hansen, using the drug in the early stages of infection can reduce the likelihood of developing severe disease and death by up to 80%.
"We have treatments that can help people, but they never reach the patients. It's just inexcusable," Hansen believes.
So why are the provincial authorities procrastinating? There is an explanation. In November, Bamlanivimab was approved for temporary use in Canada, but there are a number of conditions. The approval by the Ministry of Health requires AbCellera to provide reports on serious side effects, additional data on the drug's effectiveness, data from ongoing clinical trials and information to confirm the drug's quality.
In addition, the Ontario government has stated that the Canadian Agency for Medicines and Health Technology and the National Institute of Excellence in Health and Human Services are not as optimistic about the drug as Dr. Hansen.
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