Moderna has announced plans to build its first overseas facility — but the mRNA specialist isn’t going too far.
This week, the Massachusetts-based drugmaker announced plans to construct a new state-of-the-art mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Canada. The goal of the new development is to build the foundation by the end of 2024 to support Canada with direct access to Moderna’s mRNA vaccines and facilitate rapid pandemic response capabilities. It will also include R&D components for other conditions such as flu, heart disease, cancer and rare genetic disorders.
According to the company’s CEO, Stéphane Bancel, Moderna is still committed to global health and believes that this new step will create the necessary “global impact and implications” needed.
Moderna and the Canadian government said they will both invest in the facility, but the full financial details of the plan have not been disclosed. Moderna currently uses a number of manufacturing facilities to make drug products with its largest facility in Norwood, Mass., along with facilities owned by contract manufacturers in the EU.
The exact location of the new facility has yet to be determined. But in an interview, Bancel stated that the facility will be built, owned and operated by Moderna and the company is discussing building similar plants beyond just Canada in Europe and Asia in the future.
