Moderna plans African plant as drugmakers are urged to help the poorest

Moderna plans African plant as drugmakers are urged to help the poorest

Moderna plans African plant as drugmakers are urged to help the poorest

October 07 2021 09:39 PM



Moderna plans to invest up to $500mn to build a factory in Africa to make up to 500mn doses of mRNA vaccines each year, including its Covid-19 shot, as pressure grows on the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture drugs on the continent



Reuters/London

Moderna plans to invest up to $500mn to build a factory in Africa to make up to 500mn doses of mRNA vaccines each year, including its Covid-19 shot, as pressure grows on the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture drugs on the continent.

African countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been urging drugmakers for months to set up vaccine plants on the continent to help it secure supplies of Covid-19 shots that have been hoovered up by wealthier nations.

As of Thursday, only about 4.5% of Africans had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the continent’s top public health official, John Nkengasong.

Moderna’s proposed site is expected to include drug substance manufacturing as well as bottling and packaging capabilities.

The US drugmaker said it would begin the process of deciding the country and location soon.

“We expect to manufacture our Covid-19 vaccine as