Editorial: Plant science's contribution to fighting viral pandemics: COVID-19 as a case study, volume II

This Research Topic is a continuation of the previous Volume I under the same title. We already considered the increasing role of plants and plant biotechnology in different areas of the fight against diseases, including viral pandemics. A significant step in the implementation of the technology for COVID-19 took place in between the two editorials. We mentioned in the first one that a plant-made vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 was in phase III of its clinical trials. In February 2022 Medicago Inc., the Canadian company performing the development, received the authorization for commercialization by Health Canada, and the vaccine was introduced on the market under the name Covifenz, in collaboration with the big pharma GlaxoSmithKline. It represented the first vaccine, among the likely upcoming several, made in plants against a human pathogenic virus. Unfortunately, due to strategic economic reasons of the only stakeholder of the company, Medicago has ceased operations in February 2023. It is important to highlight that this decision does not seem to be related to the quality of the vaccine or any other technical or scientific reason, but just to the strategy of the company in relation to the market circumstances.