Moderna to Inject $500M to Build Vaccine Plant in Africa

Moderna plans to invest USD 500 million in localizing its state-of-the-art mRNA vaccine production in Africa. The plant will not be just a fill-and-finish ‘bottling plant’ but will actually produce the active drug substance.

The selection process for a suitable site is ongoing and the construction of the plant is expected to take 2-4 fours. The target production capacity is 500 million doses of 50 microgrammes doses per year.

The pandemic has highlighted that Africa is especially vulnerable when it comes to accessing drugs and vaccines when faced with a global pandemic. Therefore, the setting of pharmaceuticals on the Africa continent has become a priority in order to achieve #HealthSecurity when the next large-scale epidemic hits.

Currently, the bulk of Moderna COVID vaccines is manufactured at its factories USA and in Switzerland. The company made USD 19 billion in sales of COVID vaccines along in 2021 and forecasts another USD 15 billion in 2022.