Vaccine maker Moderna to incorporate Singapore subsidiary

NASDAQ-LISTED biotechnology company Moderna has announced it will establish a new subsidiary in the Republic as part of its plans to increase its presence in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region.

It will also create new subsidiaries in Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer said in a press release on Wednesday (Feb 16). It currently has offices in Japan, South Korea and Australia.

Moderna picked Singapore for its role as a "leading biomedical sciences hub" and said the country "offers a high number of skilled workers, government support for the sector, and a business-friendly regulatory environment".

The company added that the Singapore subsidiary will support the delivery of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics in the country, and allow it to grow its mRNA therapeutics pipeline in the region.

It is "actively recruiting" a local team to aid expansion of its network in Apac, which will cover medical, regulatory, pricing, reimbursement, market access, government affairs and commercial operations.

The statement did not state when the subsidiary will be set up.

Moderna's broader pipeline currently includes 40 development programmes, of which 25 are in clinical trials.

An example is its immuno-oncology programmes that are currently focused on therapeutic vaccines such as personalised cancer vaccines, and intratumoral immuno-oncology therapeutics.

The company is also developing mRNA medicines to potentially prevent and treat diseases that are infectious, rare or autoimmune, naming cancer, Zika and HIV among its "ambitious" candidates.

Additionally, it will also continue to update its Covid-19 strategy to address variants like Omicron. In January, it began clinical trials of a booster dose of vaccine designed specifically for Omicron.

Stephane Bancel, chief executive of Moderna, said: "Like Moderna, the Singapore biopharma industry is witnessing an incredible period of growth. We are excited for Moderna to become part of that journey and to continue to leverage our mRNA platform to help solve health challenges across the Asia-Pacific region."

The Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, also known as Spikevax, is 1 of the 2 mRNA vaccines offered in Singapore's National Vaccination Programme as a primary and booster vaccine, and is authorised by the Health Sciences Authority under the Pandemic Special Access Route.

Meanwhile, BioNTech, 1 half of the Pfizer-BioNTech partnership which manufactures the other mRNA Covid-19 vaccine Cormirnaty, said in May 2021 it will be setting up in Singapore its South-east Asia regional headquarters and a vaccine facility, to be operational in 2023.

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