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Moderna Inc., one of the leaders among American companies developing experimental coronavirus vaccines, entered into a pact with Lonza Group AG to manufacture one billion doses a year.
The companies announced a global agreement under which the Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical company will increase production of the proposed vaccine, which is based on a novel technology that relies on genetic material called mRNA. The first batches will be produced in the United States in July, they said.
The deal is one of several alliances between drug makers as they rush to bring protection against Covid-19 to the market. On Thursday AstraZeneca Plc announced an agreement to make an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, considering the production capacity of 100 million doses by the end of the year.
With dozens of projects underway around the world, the Trump administration wants to make vaccines available to Americans by the end of 2020. Scientists have said it may take a longer time to have a viable vaccine.
Moderna’s experimental injection induces the body’s own cells to produce virus-like proteins that stimulate an immune response and prepare for real infection. It was one of the first coronavirus vaccines proposed to participate in human trials. The company said it plans to start the next phase of studies this quarter.
The pact with Lonza will allow a ten-fold increase in manufacturing, which Moderna has already begun, according to a statement.
