MRNa biotech Moderna and Thermo Fisher Scientific have announced a 15-year strategic collaboration agreement planned to enable dedicated large-scale manufacturing in the US of Spikevax, Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, and other investigational mRNA medicines in its pipeline.
In the recent past, the companies have partnered to support Moderna’s development pipeline with both clinical research and contract manufacturing services. This included the quick scale-up of aseptic fill-finish services and packaging of its COVID vaccine. Through the expanded agreement, Thermo Fisher will provide dedicated capacity for a range of aseptic fill-finish services including lyophilised and liquid filling. Inspection, labelling and final packaging services will also be covered by the deal.
“Thermo Fisher continues to be a trusted partner, bringing a full range of products and services that have enabled us to deliver innovative medicines at an unprecedented speed and scale,” said Juan Andres, Moderna's Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer. “We are pleased to further expand our collaboration with Thermo Fisher as a long-term manufacturing partner that will enable us to continue to build on our mRNA platform and pipeline.”
"Moderna’s innovation in mRNA technology has been pivotal in the global response to the pandemic and we are proud and privileged to support Moderna over the last decade,” said Michel Lagarde, Executive VP and COO of Thermo Fisher Scientific. “In expanding our strategic partnership, Moderna will further leverage our scale and depth of capabilities to continue to transform its mRNA platform and bring new breakthrough medicines to patients around the world."