Providence Therapeutics Enters into Agreement with Government of Manitoba to Supply 2 Million Doses of its COVID-19 Vaccine

WINNIPEG, MB and CALGARY, AB, Feb. 11, 2021 /CNW/ - Providence Therapeutics is pleased to confirm that the Government of Manitoba has agreed to purchase 2 million doses of its proprietary mRNA (messenger RNA) COVID-19 vaccine, PTX-COVID19-B.

In late January 2021, Providence Therapeutics' messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine became the first fully made-in-Canada vaccine to begin Phase 1 human trials. The company plans to move into Phase 2 trials in May 2021, pending regulatory approval.

"This is great news for Manitobans and Canadians. We welcome the initiative demonstrated by the Manitoba government as this means that we are now on course to manufacture and deliver a COVID-19 vaccine in Canada in 2021," announced Brad Sorenson, CEO of Providence Therapeutics.

"We are looking forward to engagement with other provinces and the federal government in the near future so that we can produce vaccines for more Canadians across the country" he added.

PTX-COVID19-B is a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine and is the first fully made-in Canada COVID vaccine candidate to reach this stage of development.

"Building a secure, made-in-Canada vaccine supply will help more Canadians get their COVID-19 vaccine sooner. The Government of Manitoba is pleased to be working with Providence Therapeutics and their Manitoba partners to get these life-saving vaccines produced right here at home," said the Honourable Brian Pallister, Premier of Manitoba. "This agreement is the first step in providing vaccine insurance for the present pandemic, for the future of this pandemic and for the next pandemic too. We encourage other provinces and the federal government to join with us in building a national process that will help protect all Canadians."

Providence Therapeutics' has partnered with Canadian vaccine component manufacturer, Northern RNA in Alberta for vaccine raw materials.

"Northern RNA is excited to be partnering with the Providence Therapeutics.  Northern RNA will provide leading-edge manufacturing of two key building blocks for the COVID-19 vaccine, including cap analogs and plasmid DNA, these essential raw materials are needed to produce messenger RNA. We are very proud to be a part of a Canadian solution," said Brad Stevens, President and CEO, Northern RNA.

Providence looks forward to working with all its partners to deliver these critical vaccines to Canadians in a timely fashion.

About Providence Therapeutics

Providence Therapeutics is Canada's leading mRNA vaccine company, with operations in Calgary, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario. In response to a worldwide need for a COVID-19 vaccine, Providence has expanded its focus beyond oncology and devoted its energy and resources to develop a world-class mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. Providence Therapeutics is focused on serving the needs of Canada, and other countries that may be underserved by large pharma programs. For more information, please visit providencetherapeutics.com.

About Northern RNA

At Northern RNA we strive to be a world class, customer-focused, end-to-end supplier of nucleic acid products such as mRNA and DNA. We strive towards this goal daily by developing and deploying our state-of-the-art bioprocessing and chemical process technologies, using proprietary manufacturing approaches, employing a highly-skilled workforce and partnering with an excellent and extensive network of relationships and collaborations.

SOURCE Providence Therapeutics

Media Contacts: Providence Therapeutics: Andrea Chrysanthou, Global Public Affairs, [email protected], 416-797-8194; Northern RNA: Carissa Vescio, [email protected], [phone]