CADCR staff writer
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took part in a ground-breaking ceremony and tour this week at Moderna’s new mRNA vaccine factory being built near Montreal.
The factory is expected to be completed in 2024 at the earliest and produce 100 million doses of mRNA vaccines per year. It will manufacture vaccines against COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
The prime minister was accompanied by federal Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Laval Mayor Stephane Boyer and local officials. Trudeau told reporters that Moderna’s new factory represents an investment in the health-care security of Canadians and also in a research ecosystem that will deliver good jobs for years to come.
Moderna president Stephen Hoge said Quebec was chosen for the facility in part because of its “strong regulatory environment” and its skilled workforce.
“There’s incredible potential in our technology in cancer,” he said, adding that the company is awaiting results from early-stage clinical trials.
The factory will employ hundreds of people during construction and is expected to be completed in 2024.
“Today marks another milestone for Moderna and our long-term strategic partnership with the Government of Canada to support pandemic preparedness,” Moderna co-founder and chairman Noubar Afeyan said in a statement. “We are moving quickly to ensure local supply and manufacturing capabilities of mRNA vaccines for Canadians, with the goal of completing our manufacturing facility in Quebec by the end of 2024.”
