Moderna Inc. will build a plant to make messenger RNA vaccines in Canada under a deal with its government that could provide a template for increasing global capacity.
The facility, announced Tuesday, will be built, owned and operated by Moderna, Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel said in an interview. He said the company is discussing building similar plants with countries in Europe and Asia, though he declined to say which ones.
Under the agreement with Canada, the plant will fulfill Canadian orders for Moderna mRNA vaccines, including Covid-19 booster shots and other vaccines that the company is developing, Mr. Bancel said.
The factory will be similar to the company’s main manufacturing facility in Norwood, Mass., and will likely employ a couple of hundred people, he said.
The location of the factory hasn’t been determined. The company and the government said construction could be completed by the end of 2024. Canada’s Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said that Canada agreed to acquire a set number of vaccines that Moderna will produce from the plant, to help lure the company. He didn’t provide further details.
