Moderna yesterday announced the finalisation of a strategic partnership with the Australian Federal Government to establish a state-of-the-art, domestic mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Australia. This finalises the agreement in principle with the Australian Federal Government announced in December 2021, the company notified in a statement.
Under the terms of the 10-year agreement, Moderna will develop and commission the facility in Melbourne, Victoria, and expects to create hundreds of jobs during construction and operation. The construction is expected to commence before the end of 2022, with a target date of the end of 2024 for the facility to become operational, subject to planning and regulatory approvals, the statement added.
The facility, when constructed, is expected to provide people in Australia with access to a domestically manufactured portfolio of mRNA vaccines against respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, seasonal influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and other potential respiratory viruses, pending licensure, added the statement.
As part of the strategic partnership, Moderna expects to support Australia’s mRNA research, development and industry ecosystem, including engagement with collaborative research partnerships with Australian institutions and establishing a Regional Research Centre for respiratory medicines and tropical diseases.
“Through this investment, Moderna is backing the development of a world-class mRNA industry in Australia. Australia has a strong, existing medical research ecosystem, and we look forward to complementing this with the ability to develop and produce new mRNA medicines,” said Michael Azrak, General Manager, Australia and New Zealand, Moderna, in the statement.
Moderna’s mRNA pipeline includes 28 vaccine candidates, including vaccines against respiratory viruses, vaccines against latent viruses, and vaccines against threats to global public health, the statement concluded.