Vaccine production | A seven-year agreement between Ottawa and Moderna

The initial agreement between the Trudeau government and Moderna, whose construction of the Laval plant has begun, will span seven years and will allow Ottawa to choose the different types of vaccines that will be produced in the pharmaceutical giant’s Laval plant. .

Julien Arsenault
The Press

COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – even if this vaccine is still in the development stage –: it will be possible to adjust orders according to the health context.

Although there are many questions that remain unanswered regarding the agreement between Ottawa and Moderna, a few details were clarified on Monday during a site visit of the manufacturing plant vaccines, whose activities should start in 2024.

“The beauty of the site is that you can make vaccines against COVID-19, influenza and RSV on the same production line,” explains Patricia Gauthier, executive director of Moderna Canada, to The Press, on the sidelines of the event. One week we can produce a vaccine and the following week it can be another. »

On the site of the Laval biotechnology park, work is still in its infancy. Despite everything, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne, Moderna co-founder Noubar Afeyan, Mr.^me Gauthier as well as other representatives of the company and elected officials were gathered for the event.

“What is interesting is that (Moderna) has a platform of 30 vaccines, said Mr. Champagne, on the sidelines of the visit. We have a menu of vaccines that we can choose from and that we would already buy. »

Prime Minister François Legault had already mentioned a bill of 180 million for the Moderna factory. The company, however, never confirmed this estimate. Quebec offered 25 million – a grant of 16.6 million and a forgivable loan of 8.4 million – to the pharmaceutical company to convince it to establish itself here rather than in Ontario.