The head of a Calgary company working on a COVID-19 vaccine says he pulling up stakes and moving overseas – and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is mainly to blame..Brad Sorenson, of Providence Therapeutics, says he’s tired of the “runaround” from federal and provincial governments and he’s planning to move overseas to work on developing a vaccine for people in the southern hemisphere..“I’m moving on, that’s where I’m at now. I’ve prostrated myself at the altar of government in Canada for a year and I’ve received nothing for it. I’m tired of begging and pleading,” Sorenson told CBC..“I can’t tell you how much this pains me. The reality is, I can do more good for the world outside of Canada than I can in..“It’s not going to be made here in Canada. It’s not going to be prioritized for Canadians,” Sorenson said, adding the Alberta government has also “dragged its heels” on making a firm commitment to help commercialize his vaccine..The company had said in January they hoped to have a made-in-Canada vaccine ready to go by the end of the year..In fact, Providence Therapeutics announced clinical tests had started on humans..“Having a made-in-Canada solution to address the global COVID-19 pandemic will augment the reliability of vaccine supply for Canadians, contribute to the global vaccine supply and position a Canadian company on the global stage as a contributor to the solution,” said Sorenson at the time..Two weeks ago, Sorenson said company negotiated an $18 per dose price in a February 11 contract with the government of Manitoba..“I’m not ashamed to say that Providence is making a fairly reasonable profit at that price. If there was an opportunity to do something and improve on that pricing, we certainly would look at it.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
The head of a Calgary company working on a COVID-19 vaccine says he pulling up stakes and moving overseas – and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is mainly to blame..Brad Sorenson, of Providence Therapeutics, says he’s tired of the “runaround” from federal and provincial governments and he’s planning to move overseas to work on developing a vaccine for people in the southern hemisphere..“I’m moving on, that’s where I’m at now. I’ve prostrated myself at the altar of government in Canada for a year and I’ve received nothing for it. I’m tired of begging and pleading,” Sorenson told CBC..“I can’t tell you how much this pains me. The reality is, I can do more good for the world outside of Canada than I can in..“It’s not going to be made here in Canada. It’s not going to be prioritized for Canadians,” Sorenson said, adding the Alberta government has also “dragged its heels” on making a firm commitment to help commercialize his vaccine..The company had said in January they hoped to have a made-in-Canada vaccine ready to go by the end of the year..In fact, Providence Therapeutics announced clinical tests had started on humans..“Having a made-in-Canada solution to address the global COVID-19 pandemic will augment the reliability of vaccine supply for Canadians, contribute to the global vaccine supply and position a Canadian company on the global stage as a contributor to the solution,” said Sorenson at the time..Two weeks ago, Sorenson said company negotiated an $18 per dose price in a February 11 contract with the government of Manitoba..“I’m not ashamed to say that Providence is making a fairly reasonable profit at that price. If there was an opportunity to do something and improve on that pricing, we certainly would look at it.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
