The government has signed a £1bn deal with Boston-based Moderna to build the UK’s first manufacturing centre for messenger RNA vaccines.
Once built, the centre – which could be located anywhere from the “Golden Triangle” between London, Oxford and Cambridge in the south of England to a site in the North East – will manufacture up to 250m doses per year, including some for export. The 10-year deal, which will be finalised this summer, also includes working together on research and development.
The agreement in principle includes setting up domestic manufacturing of mRNA vaccines, which can rapidly be adapted to address outbreaks of novel pathogens.
