Alberta company drops US$3-B Manitoba lawsuit over failed COVID vaccine plan
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/08/2024 (440 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A lawsuit over a failed plan to produce tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses at a Winnipeg plant that sought billions of dollars in damages has been discontinued.
An Alberta company, Providence Therapeutic Holdings, began discussions with American firm Emergent Biosolutions to develop and produce the vaccine at a Winnipeg facility, operated by Emergent’s Canadian affiliate, in January 2021. The plan never came to fruition.
The statement of claim filed June 13 by Alberta lawyers David Bishop and Ricki Johnson in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench on Providence’s behalf, seeking just over US$3 billion, alleged Emergent misrepresented itself to secure an agreement to develop and make the vaccine.
JESSE BOILY / FREE PRESS FILES
Providence Therapeutic Holdings, began discussions with American firm Emergent Biosolutions to develop and produce the vaccine at a Winnipeg facility, operated by Emergent’s Canadian affiliate, in January 2021.
But on Aug. 8, Bishop filed a notice of discontinuance in court, indicating Providence was withdrawing the action against Emergent.
No further details of why the lawsuit was dropped are included in the court filings. A director at Providence, Jordan Schwartz, said “all outstanding claims by either party have been resolved” and declined further comment. Emergent did not return a request for comment Thursday.
It’s unclear whether a settlement or other agreement was reached out of court.
A spokeswoman for Emergent, Assal Hellmer, told the Free Press in June that the company believed Providence’s allegations were without merit.
As Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout moved slowly in early 2021, Manitoba’s then-Progressive Conservative premier Brian Pallister said the province would agree to buy two million doses of vaccine from Providence, if approved for use in Canada.
Providence lost its shot at streamlined regulatory approval before the end of 2022, it claimed in its June filings, alleging the company lost the opportunity to bring its vaccine to market in 2021 or 2022 as a result of Emergent not manufacturing the vaccine as agreed upon.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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History
Updated on Thursday, August 22, 2024 3:32 PM CDT: Adds statement from Providence.