A report in the FT has revealed that Moderna are discussing opening a manufacturing facility in the UK. This follows a meeting between Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid and Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel in Boston last week. It is believed that the site will be adaptable, so as to be at the forefront of the battle against any emerging viral threats. The company will also collaborate with the NHS to conduct effective clinical trials.
Moderna are also considering opening more sites in the UK, centred around the Golden Triangle: London, Cambridge, and Oxford. This will allow the Boston-based company to collaborate with some of the country’s finest researchers and will form a key cornerstone in the UK’s bid to become a global hub for life sciences.
The Health Secretary echoed these sentiments in comments which followed the aforementioned meeting with Moderna’s CEO, “The UK is ideally placed to become a life sciences superpower, and collaboration with world-leading companies is crucial to this”.
