Samsung SDI Secures Major LFP Battery Supply Deal in the U.S. 
Nvidia Develops New Location-Verification Technology for AI Chips 
China Adds Domestic AI Chips to Government Procurement List as U.S. Considers Easing Nvidia Export Curbs 
United Airlines Flight to Tokyo Returns to Dulles After Engine Failure During Takeoff 
Russia Stocks End Flat as Energy and Retail Shares Show Mixed Performance 
S&P 500 Slides as AI Chip Stocks Tumble, Cooling Tech Rally 
EU Court Cuts Intel Antitrust Fine to €237 Million Amid Long-Running AMD Dispute 
SoftBank Shares Slide as Oracle’s AI Spending Plans Fuel Market Jitters 
Coca-Cola’s Costa Coffee Sale Faces Uncertainty as Talks With TDR Capital Hit Snag 
Oil Prices Rebound in Asia as Venezuela Sanctions Risks Offset Ukraine Peace Hopes 
Microsoft Unveils Massive Global AI Investments, Prioritizing India’s Rapidly Growing Digital Market 
Trump’s Approval of AI Chip Sales to China Triggers Bipartisan National Security Concerns 
U.S. Dollar Slides for Third Straight Week as Rate Cut Expectations Boost Euro and Pound 
SK Hynix Considers U.S. ADR Listing to Boost Shareholder Value Amid Rising AI Chip Demand 
Fed Rate Cut Signals Balance Between Inflation and Jobs, Says Mary Daly 
Gold Prices Dip as Markets Absorb Dovish Fed Outlook; Silver Eases After Record High 
Australia’s Labour Market Weakens as November Employment Drops Sharply 
COVID-19 vaccines are expensive but a new alternative is coming and this will cut the costs. A division of the Japanese pharma company, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Company, has developed the world’s first plant-based coronavirus vaccine and is looking to launch it soon.
The Medicago biopharmaceutical company that is owned by Mitsubishi Tanabe said that its new COVID-19 vaccine would be cheaper and easier to move compared to the conventional types since this is plant-based. It was also mentioned that Medicago is also backed by the Marlboro producer, Philip Morris International.
According to the Financial Times, the head of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma’s vaccine business development, Toshifumi Tada, revealed that Medicago would be applying for approval of its plant-based vaccine in Canada by the end of this year.
With its successful development of the alternative COVID-19 vaccine, the Osaka headquartered pharmaceutical firm is expecting global demand for the product. The company also believes that the demand will remain strong since medical professionals continue to detect new strains of the highly contagious coronavirus.
It was noted that no single plant-based vaccine had been approved yet for use in humans, but supporters of the new technology stated that such a type of vaccine is very appealing since plant leaves grow quickly. This fact alone makes the production process cheaper and faster.
Traditional flu vaccines usually take around eight to 12 months to produce but Medicago’s plant-based alternative will only take up five to eight weeks. Plus, the vaccines do not need to be deep-frozen while being transported, as they can be stored at 2C to 8C temperatures.
“Compared to alternative production systems, our proprietary plant-based manufacturing platform has many advantages, including faster lead time, scalability, and versatility,” Medicago’s senior director of scientific and medical affairs, Nathalie Charland, said via the Nature Research Journal. “The rapid nature of our vaccine and therapeutic protein production unlocks many potential ways in which we can better respond to infectious diseases and public health challenges.”
Meanwhile, Medicago will partner with GlaxoSmithKline for the phase 3 trial for its plant-based vaccine in Canada, U.S., the U.K, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. The trial is said to involve 24,000 subjects in all.
