Moderna takes swipe at Trump as it opens new UK factory: ‘A country that still believes in vaccination’
New vaccine factory could produce 100 million doses a year
- Moderna has opened a new mRNA manufacturing base in Oxfordshire, with its chief executive Stephane Bancel praising the UK as a country that "still believes in vaccination".
- Mr Bancel indicated that the company's investment in the UK could "pay dividends" if anti-vaccine rhetoric in the US, particularly within the Trump administration, impacts demand for vaccines.
- The US pharmaceutical firm is investing over £1bn in UK research and development as part of a 10-year strategic partnership with the government.
- The new Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) is the UK’s first onshore facility for mRNA jabs, capable of producing up to 100 million doses annually and creating around 150 highly skilled jobs.
- This opening comes amidst a challenging investment climate for the UK pharmaceutical sector, with other major firms like Merck, GSK, and AstraZeneca recently shelving or pausing planned UK investments.