Onshore manufacturing facility is expected to be based in Quebec and produce up to 100 million mRNA respiratory vaccine doses annually
The ten-year strategic partnership is expected to provide Canadians with rapid response capabilities to ensure future pandemic readiness
CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2022 / Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced its plan to build a state-of-the-art mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Quebec that will support a long-term strategic partnership with the Government of Canada to enhance pandemic preparedness.
This milestone follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Moderna and the Government of Canada in August 2021. Once the facility is certified by Health Canada, it is expected to provide onshore respiratory vaccine manufacturing capabilities and support future pandemic readiness. The partnership is expected to be finalized following approval of the final agreement by the Government of Canada.
"The leadership and vision shown by the Government of Canada in the early stages of the pandemic made Canada an ideal candidate for an onshore vaccine manufacturing facility," said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "This partnership is designed to provide Canadians with access to Moderna's vaccines in future pandemics and health emergencies."
Once operational, the facility is expected to provide access to a domestically manufactured portfolio of mRNA vaccines against respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other potential respiratory viruses, contingent on approval by Health Canada. In the event of a future pandemic, it is also expected that the facility could be activated on an urgent basis to support Canada with direct access to rapid pandemic response capabilities with the capacity to adapt and adjust manufacturing to address novel or emerging viruses.
As part of the ten-year partnership, Moderna is also expected to support research and development and other commercial collaborations in the country. The project is expected to create hundreds of jobs during construction and operation. Construction is expected to commence in 2022, with the facility expected to become operational by the end of 2024, subject to planning and regulatory approvals.
"Moderna's planned R&D commitments will contribute to the growth of the life sciences ecosystem in Canada, providing a significant boost to the government's Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy," said Patricia Gauthier, President and General Manager of Moderna Canada. "This partnership will provide scientific expertise, capacity building, and economic development benefits that will expand Canada's capacity to play a key role in exploring the potential of mRNA technology."
Moderna's mRNA pipeline includes 31 vaccine programs and 15 therapeutic programs, including vaccines against respiratory viruses, vaccines against latent viruses, and vaccines against threats to global public health.
About Moderna
In over 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a research-stage company advancing programs in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across seven modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio in areas including mRNA and lipid nanoparticle formulation, and an integrated manufacturing plant that allows for rapid clinical and commercial production at scale. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for the pursuit of both groundbreaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna's capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use and approval of one of the earliest and most effective vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moderna's mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases and auto-immune diseases. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past seven years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including regarding Moderna's agreement with the Canadian government to develop an mRNA manufacturing facility in Canada; expected timing for commencing construction of the facility, and when the facility is expected to be operational; expected annual vaccine production at the facility; expected job creation during construction of the facility and when the facility is operational; the potential successful launch and approval of different respiratory vaccines in the Company's pipeline; the types of medicines to be manufactured at the facility; and the Company's support of Canada's mRNA research, development and industry ecosystem. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond Moderna's control and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include those other risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" in Moderna's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and in subsequent filings made by Moderna with the SEC, which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by law, Moderna disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments, or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Moderna's current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.
Moderna Contacts:
Media:
Luke Mircea Willats
Director, Corporate Communications
[email protected]m
Investors:
Lavina Talukdar
Senior Vice President & Head of Investor Relations
617-209-5834
[email protected]
SOURCE: Moderna, Inc.