The American pharmaceutical giant Moderna has chosen Laval to set up its new mRNA vaccine manufacturing plant in Canada.
The company announced Thursday that it had signed a purchase contract at the beginning of the month with the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS) for land at the Laval biotechnology park.
“This site offers enormous synergy opportunities for Moderna thanks to its proximity to a renowned research institution and corresponds to the requirements of the project and its importance for all Quebecers and Canadians,” she said in a statement. .
Construction, valued at $180 million, is expected to begin in 2022. The biofabrication plant could be operational by the end of 2024, Moderna estimates. The pharmaceutical company plans to release more details on its implementation once due diligence is complete.
The choice of site comes about three months after the announcement with great fanfare of the arrival of the American manufacturer in Quebec, confirmed in the presence of Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and François Legault. Moderna mentioned at that time wanting to set up in the Montreal area, but the exact location remained to be determined.
The Quebec Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, again welcomed, Thursday, the decision of the manufacturer to bet on Quebec.
“The pandemic has shown us how essential our autonomy in vaccine supply is. The arrival of Moderna in Quebec is a sign of health innovation,” he wrote on Twitter.
Once construction is complete, the plant could hire approximately 75 people for manufacturing operations. The facility will be able to manufacture some 100 million doses per year.
In addition to vaccines against COVID-19, the company wants to push research and development of messenger RNA technology to develop vaccines and treatments for influenza, Alzheimer’s disease or HIV, for example.
The federal government signed an agreement in 2021 with Moderna to set up a factory in Canada so that the country reduces its dependence on vaccines imported from abroad.