Moderna plans to build vaccine plant in Africa

Moderna plans African vaccine plant as drugmakers urged to help poorest Moderna plans to invest up to $500 million to build a factory in Africa to make up to 500 million doses of mRNA vaccines each year, including its COVID-19 shot, as pressure grows on the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture drugs on the continent. Josephine Mason,Maggie Fick Reuters

LONDON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Moderna plans to invest up to $500 million to build a factory in Africa to make up to 500 million 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 (MRNA.O) proposed site is expected to include drug substance manufacturing as well as bottling and packaging capabilities. The U.S. drugmaker said it would begin the process of deciding the country and location soon. ...