What is Health Canada doing to ensure there is timely access to a safe and effective pandemic vaccine in Canada?
Health Canada and PHAC have been proactively preparing for a potential influenza pandemic for several years and review of a potential pandemic vaccine was initiated in 2007. The Government of Canada has had a contract in place with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) since 2001 to secure domestic vaccine production capacity in Canada, to test a pre-pandemic vaccine, and to ensure availability of a vaccine for Canadians in the event of a pandemic. In the inter-pandemic period, Health Canada focused regulatory activity on review of a “mock” (H5N1) vaccine. This enabled Health Canada to validate the contract manufacturer’s production process and prepare for regulatory evaluation of a pandemic vaccine, if needed.
