The pharmaceutical company Moderna would set up a brand new biomanufacturing plant in the Montreal area. An announcement must be made to this effect on Friday in the presence of Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and François Legault.
The news was revealed by Radio-Canada and La Presse on Wednesday.
In August 2021, Moderna executives took part in a press conference in Montreal alongside federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne to unveil an agreement that the company will have to produce a minimum of 30 million doses. of vaccine per year by “promoting the supply chain from home”, said the minister.
In return, the federal government has agreed to purchase an undisclosed amount of doses each year.
During the same press conference, the president and CEO of Moderna, Stéphane Bancel, announced that the facilities should be operational by 2024 and hire between 200 and 300 people.
Mr. Bancel had justified his decision to establish in Canada the first Moderna plant outside the United States by the quality of education, which allows the company to rely on a qualified workforce. He also praised the speed with which the Canadian government closed the deal.
The boss of Moderna had also mentioned the company’s desire to develop a range of new messenger RNA vaccines to fight influenza, respiratory viruses, cytomegalovirus, Zika or even HIV. Mr. Bancel also said he was interested in cancer and cystic fibrosis.
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