[Translated from French]

Moderna’s Laval plant has delivered its first doses of messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines. The federal government hopes that the plant, which was built at a cost of $180 million with a $25 million investment from Quebec, will enable Canada to achieve pharmaceutical self-sufficiency.

“We will never find ourselves in this situation again,” said Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Mélanie Joly at a press conference on Friday, recalling that Canada had to rely on the United States, the European Union, and India for its vaccine supply during the pandemic.

“We are building a strong industrial capacity, a sovereign industrial capacity, which will ensure that we are not dependent on other countries for our vaccine production.”

At a time when Washington is defunding the development of mRNA vaccines, Canada instead wants to play a leading role in vaccine production. “Other countries are turning their backs on science, but Canada believes in and invests in science because science saves lives,” said Minister Joly.

Ottawa believes it will now be possible to react quickly and modify vaccine production, depending on the virus being fought. Moderna’s plant will produce 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine per year, with the capacity to produce 100 million doses in an emergency.

Minister Joly also believes the Laval plant will help attract pharmaceutical industry talent to Canada. “We believe we have an opportunity to attract talent from around the world, talent that could otherwise be located in jurisdictions like the United States.”

mRNA technology will also make it possible to develop other vaccines, particularly against infectious diseases, rare genetic diseases, and even cancer, explained Stéphane Bancel, Global CEO of Moderna Therapeutics.