The doses of vaccines that will be produced in the new Moderna factory in Laval will first go to Canadians, assured the president and CEO of the pharmaceutical company, Patricia Gauthier.
At a conference held Wednesday in Montreal, the CEO confirmed that even if the Moderna plant aims to reach beyond Canadian borders, the population will benefit from an “assured supply” in the event of a pandemic compared to treatments against respiratory diseases.
“From a manufacturing point of view, it is clear that what we build here, in Canada and in Greater Montreal, is to serve the Canadian population as a priority. After that, we will be able to see how we can optimize everything to contribute on a global scale as well,” she indicated during a panel with the president and chief executive officer of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, Michael LeBlanc.
Mme Gauthier also said she was “very proud” of the enthusiasm created by her proposal for a plant in Canadian territory, specifying that seven provinces had expressed their interest in a possible construction project during the selection process.
Asked about the 25 million subsidies advanced by the government of Prime Minister François Legault, the lawyer by training stressed that the economic aspect was “not the only decisive criterion” which had tipped the balance.
“It was really a set of components of the proposal and the ease of collaboration. We are already established with McGill and we have discussions with the University of Montreal, and the pool of life sciences is very strong in Quebec, ”she said in an interview.
“Much more than a factory”
Patricia Gauthier also said she worked closely with the Quebec Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, adding that Moderna was committed to “developing solutions for future pandemics”.
“We are developing fifteen prototypes to support the fifteen pathogens that have pandemic potential according to the World Health Organization,” confirmed the president. […] Within three years, we hope to have fifteen clinical programs. »
According to her, the project located in Greater Montreal is “much more than a factory” and will allow Canada to carve out a place for itself both in the global supply of vaccine doses, but also in the field of research and of development. She also mentioned that Moderna was trying to create research partnerships with several Quebec institutions, including the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS).
The plant, which is scheduled to be built between 2022 and 2024 at the Laval biotechnology park, will cost around 180 million and should produce some 100 million doses of vaccines per year. Mme Gauthier said that if the deadline was met, the first concrete foundations would be poured “before Christmas”.
It is anticipated that 75 manufacturing positions will be created to carry out production, and that this number could reach 150 employees in the event of a new pandemic.
Asked about the labor shortage currently affecting the Canadian manufacturing sector, the president assured that Moderna would be able to find “highly qualified” labor and that the pharmaceutical company wanted to participate in the training of future employees.
“We have an agreement with McGill to support some of their master’s students in [bio-ingénierie] and we want to develop them. We are confident that 75, in the greater Montreal basin, we will be able to find, ”supported Mme Gautier.
Canada must take risks
The trained lawyer also recalled the importance of collaboration between the various players in the health sector, especially in times of crisis.
“We did not experience the trauma of the pandemic to get out of it, go back to our old slippers and do as we did before,” said Ms.me Gauthier during the conference. When I look at the lessons of the pandemic that apply […]collaboration is absolutely important.”
This “co-creation” with governments and universities is therefore essential to tackle today’s social issues, which are, according to her, “increasingly complex”.
According to the President, Canada needs to take more “risks” in terms of scientific innovation, all in order to be more “competitive” on the world stage.
“At the end of the day, it’s for the patients,” said Ms.me Gauthier in interview. When we bring clinical studies to Quebec and Canada, these patients have access to innovative drugs before anyone else. In oncology and rare diseases, this is often what makes the difference. »
Recall that in 2021, the federal government signed an agreement with Moderna to set up a production plant on Canadian territory.
The arrival of the American manufacturer in Quebec was confirmed in April 2022, in the presence of Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and François Legault. The purchase contract was finally signed last August with the National Institute for Scientific Research for land at the Laval biotechnology park.
This article was produced with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.