Question Period Note: Procurement of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics

Public Services and Procurement Canada is working with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, along with the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force to procure COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutic drugs, and related supplies.

Note: All questions regarding the regulatory review of vaccines should be directed to Health Canada.

Note: For all therapeutic solutions, questions about allocation and distribution should be directed to Public Health Agency of Canada.

Note: All questions on donations should be deferred to GAC and PHAC.

• Given intense global competition, Canada has taken an aggressive approach to secure access to one of the most diverse vaccine portfolios in the world
  • Since July 2021, Canada has maintained a steady supply of doses for every eligible person who wants one
  • As an ongoing priority, Public Services and Procurement Canada continues to work with vaccine suppliers to manage the delivery of doses to Canadians, the supply for future needs as well as donations of surplus doses to support international efforts

If pressed on delivery of pediatric doses for children:

• Earlier this year, Canada secured future supply deals with Pfizer and Moderna that include access to pediatric doses, in order to ensure that Canadian children will receive vaccines in a timely manner
• The Government of Canada and Pfizer were able to accelerate the delivery schedule for 2.9 million pediatric doses following regulatory approval. All 2.9 million doses were delivered the week of November 22nd, providing enough first doses for all eligible children 5 to 11 years old
  • Moderna is still undergoing clinical trials for its pediatric solution, which will target children from 6 to 11 years old
  • Public Services and Procurement Canada continues to engage suppliers on further supply of pediatric doses

If pressed on the need for vaccines, including new formulations for variants, boosters and pediatrics:

• We are continuing to evolve our vaccine procurement strategy based on the best scientific advice available, which includes working with vaccine suppliers to secure new formulations for variants, boosters and pediatrics as they become available

If pressed on the release of vaccine contracts:

• As permitted by contract and law, the Government of Canada is committed to transparency and accountability, and has been publicly disclosing contracting information to the fullest extent possible
• This includes working with vaccine suppliers to secure their agreement on publicly releasable versions of Canada’s vaccine contracts, while respecting our confidentiality agreements and protecting our negotiating position

If pressed on the details of advance purchase agreements:

• We continue to seek opportunities to be as transparent as possible about our procurements in support of Canada’s COVID-19 response, while respecting confidentiality agreements and protecting our negotiating position
• Every contract is different as they reflect specific requests and requirements put forth by the supplier
• Public Services and Procurement Canada has worked with its vaccine suppliers to secure their agreement on publicly releasable versions of Canada’s vaccine contracts
• These documents fully respect the Access to Information Act, so information that is commercially confidential or that could impact Canada’s ability to negotiate future contracts has been protected
• As we have throughout the pandemic, Public Services and Procurement Canada will continue to openly communicate with Canadians about the work we are doing to support Canada’s pandemic response

If pressed on delivery of Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses:

• Canada’s contract for 10 million doses from Johnson & Johnson remains in place
• As the result of immediate demand for this vaccine from provincial governments, Canada was able to secure additional supply of 20,000 doses through an agreement with France
• These doses arrived the week of November 8th and the agreement with France will complement the 10 million doses secured as part of Canada’s bi-lateral agreement with the supplier

If pressed on future Pfizer supply:

• In April 2021, the Prime Minister announced that Canada had secured a deal with Pfizer to ensure a guaranteed supply of 35 million doses for 2022, 30 million doses for 2023, as well as additional options for an additional 30 million doses in each of these years
• This deal also includes options for up to 60 million doses for 2024
• This agreement will ensure that Canada has access to future supply of a range of products, including pediatrics and boosters

If pressed on future Moderna supply:

• Earlier this year, Public Services and Procurement Canada successfully secured an agreement with Moderna for 20 million doses with options for up to 15 million additional doses for both 2022 and 2023
• Through this agreement, Canada will also have access to options for an additional 35 million doses in 2024
• This agreement will ensure that Canada has access to future supply of a range of products, including pediatrics and boosters

Vaccines

Overall, the federal government has allocated over $9 billion for vaccine procurement and Public Health Agency of Canada is responsible for managing this funding.

Currently, Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson have been approved to prevent COVID-19. The other vaccine candidates from Sanofi, Medicago and Novavax have started their regulatory submissions. Through this process Health Canada will review the evidence of safety, efficacy, and manufacturing quality for each vaccine to determine whether individual vaccines will be approved for use in Canada, before they are used to vaccinate Canadians.

The Government of Canada has signed agreements in principle with the following companies to obtain access to their vaccines and vaccine candidates:

• AstraZeneca, which will supply 20 million doses of its viral vector vaccine Vaxzevria
• Sanofi and GSK, which will supply up to 72 million doses of their protein subunit vaccine candidate
• Johnson & Johnson, which will supply up to 38 million doses of its viral vector vaccine Ad26.COV2.S
• Novavax, which will supply up to 76 million doses of its protein subunit vaccine candidate NVX-CoV2373
• Pfizer, which will supply up to 50 million doses of its mRNA vaccine Comirnaty, plus future supply of up to 185 million doses from 2022 to 2024
• Moderna, which will supply 44 million doses of its mRNA vaccine Spikevax, plus future supply of up to 105 million doses from 2022 to 2024
• Medicago, which will supply up to 76 million doses of its plant-derived Coronavirus Virus-Like Particle vaccine candidate (CoVLP)
• Serum Institute of India/Verity Pharmaceuticals, which supplied 500,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine produced under license and marketed as COVISHIELD

Other key issues:

• Canadian officials continue to work closely with suppliers and European Union officials to ensure no or minimal disruptions in Canada’s vaccine supply, in the event that future vaccines from the European supply-chain are required
• Canada’s seven main agreements with vaccine suppliers allows for donations to be made when doses are deemed surplus in-country. PSPC supports Global Affairs Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada on the donation of surplus doses through its agreements with suppliers through direct donations and the COVAX facility
• Canada signed an agreement on September 18, 2020 to participate in the COVAX Facility, which supports equitable global access to safe, effective, and affordable COVID-19 vaccines. Through this agreement Canada has committed to being a global leader in supporting equitable global access to safe, effective, and affordable COVID-19 vaccines
• As a result of bilateral negotiations led by Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) for its vaccine candidate, Novavax agreed to enter into separate negotiations to build domestic capacity in Canada in the long-term. Canada will be enhancing its domestic capacity through this partnership, operating out of the National Research Council’s Royalmount facilities in Montreal
• Health Canada identified a need for a vendor-managed stockpile of critical drugs in anticipation of possible shortages related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The reserve is accessible to the provinces and territories to ensure hospitals have adequate supply of 12 key drugs, which are being allocated on a regular basis based on provincial and territorial needs
• The default position of the Government of Canada in all its procurement contracts is that title to intellectual property remains with the contractor, which is set out in the Policy on Title to Intellectual Property Arising Under Crown Procurement Contracts. In the advance purchase agreements that Canada negotiated with vaccine manufacturers, the manufacturers retain the title to intellectual property and do not grant a license for Canada to use the intellectual property nor give Canada a right to use the intellectual property

Therapeutics

Oral Antiviral Treatments:

• On December 3rd, Canada awarded a contract to Merck for 500,000 courses of its Molnupiravir oral antiviral therapeutic for the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms, pending regulatory approval
• Also on December 3rd, Canada secured one million courses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral antiviral therapeutic for the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms, pending regulatory approval
• Combined, these two oral antiviral treatments will provide easy-to-use and accessible solutions to Canadians to reduce the severity of COVID-19 and help save lives

IV Treatments :

• On October 20, 2020, Canada awarded a contract with McKesson/Gilead for the Remdesivir therapeutic drug for up to 150,000 doses, which is enough for up to 25,000 treatments
• On November 22, 2020, Canada awarded a contract of up to 26,000 doses of Eli Lilly’s antibody treatment, Bamlanivimab, and secured the ability to buy additional doses on a monthly basis if required. The treatment was developed in partnership with Canadian company AbCellera, combining its advanced antibody therapy discovery platform with Eli Lilly’s manufacturing and distribution capability
• On March 12, 2021, Canada finalized an agreement with Roche Canada for the supplemental supply of Tocilizumab for the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms without compromising the drug’s indicated uses. The distribution of this treatment is determined by a global allocation framework that ensures equitable distribution and access around the world. Roche is managing supply to ensure that there is sufficient stock for on-label use in Canada and other countries
• On June 11, 2021, Canada awarded a contract with Roche for its Regeneron therapeutic drug for 9,000 doses
• In October 2021, the Government of Canada awarded a contract to GlaxoSmithKline for the purchase 10,000 doses of Sotrovimab for the treatment of COVID-19

National security exception in contracting

The National Security Exception is invoked to remove procurements from the obligations of Canada’s trade agreements for reasons of national security

After the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic, Public Health Agency of Canada made a request on behalf of the federal government that Public Services and Procurement Canada invoke the National Security Exception with respect to the acquisition of goods and services required to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force

The COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, supported by a secretariat housed at the National Research Council of Canada, provides advice to the Government of Canada on COVID-19 vaccines, which can include the following:

• Prioritizing vaccine projects seeking support for activities in Canada
• Attracting to Canada promising non-Canadian vaccine candidates, or partnering with developers of non-Canadian vaccine candidates
• Optimizing the tools needed to develop vaccines
• Supporting effective research and development, and supply chain coordination for COVID-19 vaccine projects
• Facilitating solutions to manufacture the most promising COVID-19 vaccines in Canada
• Identifying opportunities to enhance business connectivity globally to secure access to vaccines with key commercial sponsors

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