Moderna Inc. said it would build a manufacturing facility in the U.K. as part of a deal with the British government aimed at ensuring speedy access to mRNA vaccines in the event of future pandemics.
For Britain, the deal forms a key plank in its strategy to better defend the country against health emergencies. The Covid-19 pandemic underscored for governments the strategic importance of domestic vaccine production. When vaccine supplies were constrained earlier in the pandemic, countries that made vaccines sometimes gave priority to their own populations over others.
