Different vaccines to protect against the novel coronavirus shouldn’t be mixed-and-matched, despite Britain’s recent decision to allow the practice to be used in rare occasions, health experts say.
Mixing different coronavirus vaccines without any data to suggest the safety and efficacy of the practice is “a huge gamble,” Dr. Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto said.
“I think it’s irresponsible … it’s unethical because we don’t know what that does,” he said. “We don’t know what the effectiveness is, we don’t know what the side effects are.”
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases faculty member at the University of Toronto said while there may be “some theoretical reasons” as to why vaccine mixing “may provide decent protection to COVID-19 infections,” the data is not yet conclusive.
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“Until we see better data to support that, I don’t think we’re going to see any such activity in Canada,” he said.
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The comments come after Britain released new guidelines on New Year’s Eve which will allow people seeking their second dose to be given shots of different COVID-19 vaccines on rare occasions.
“(If) the same vaccine is not available, or if the first product received is unknown, it is reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product to complete the schedule,” according to the guidelines.
Mary Ramsay, head of immunizations at Public Health England, said this would only happen on extremely rare occasions, and that the government was not recommending the mixing of vaccines, which require at least two doses given several weeks apart.
She said “every effort should be made to give them the same vaccine.
“But where this is not possible it is better to give a second dose of another vaccine than not at all,” she said.
What has Health Canada said?
Health Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) currently recommends that the vaccine series “be completed with the same COVID-19 vaccine product.”
“Currently, no data exists on the interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines,” the agency’s website read.
However, according to NACI, if the vaccine used for a previous dose is “not known, or not available, attempts should be made to complete the vaccine in series with a similar type of COVID-19 vaccine (e.g. mRNA vaccine).”
“In the context of limited COVID-19 vaccine supply and the absence of evidence on interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines, the previous dose may be counted, and the series need not be restarted,” the website read.
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The agency said “active surveillance of effectiveness and safety of this mixed schedule will be important in these individuals,” adding that “accurate recording of vaccines received will be critical.”
According to the NACI, the agency will “continue to monitor the evidence” and will update its recommendations as needed.
To date, Health Canada has approved two coronavirus vaccines for use across the country. Both are mRNA vaccines, and require two doses to provide around 95 per cent protection from COVID-19.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires two shots to be administered 21 days apart, while doses of the Moderna vaccine are to be administered 28 days apart.
Bogoch said we have “good data” on these vaccines, and how they are to be administered.
Asked if there are any circumstances in which Canada should allow different vaccines to be mixed-and-matched before data is available, Bogoch said: “no.”
“I’m not entirely sure outside of a clinical trial what the role would be for conducting this type of activity,” he said.
Furness also said vaccines should not be mixed unless in a lab setting, where participants have given their informed consent.
“If you want to do a trial to try them out, sure,” he said. “But that’s going to take many months.”
Anything else, Furness said, would be “experimental.”
“The human history is really littered with experimenting on people without the understanding that they’re being experimented on,” he said. “And that’s really not OK.”
For now, Bogoch said we should focus on rolling out the approved vaccines as quickly as possible, in the manner in which they are meant to be administered.
“The goal is to have as few vaccines in freezers as possible and get the needles in arms quickly as possible to the highest risk groups and prevent death and suffering,” he said.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
