The creation of the Moderna pharmaceutical production plant in Laval is “major” and “highly strategic”, according to the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM), who foresees significant spinoffs in a host of sectors. of the Montreal and Quebec economy.
“It’s easily been 20 years since we’ve had such a significant investment in a field of life sciences,” said Mr. Leblanc, who originally founded the Montreal life sciences industrial cluster, in an interview. InVivo from the 2000s.
The biopharmaceutical company announced Thursday that it has signed a purchase contract for land in the Laval biotechnology park in order to establish its factory there, whose production capacity should reach 100 million doses of vaccines per year.
The location of the plant will be “ideal”, explains Moderna: it is the Cité de la Biotech, a developing industrial park located in the Chomedey sector which brings together major biopharmaceutical companies and research institutes. employing several thousand people.
“This site offers tremendous synergy opportunities for Moderna through its proximity to a reputable research institution and aligns with the requirements of the project and its importance to all Quebecers and Canadians,” Moderna said in a statement Thursday.
According to Michel Leblanc, “the more we have big strategic players, as is the case in the aeronautics sector, to have a large pharma specializing in the production of vaccines, it is extremely promising”.
Highlighting the work of the ministers in Ottawa and Quebec City, Mr. Leblanc points out that beyond the paying jobs associated directly with the plant, there are also opportunities for local suppliers of manufacturing equipment, transportation or even construction.
The land was ceded by the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS), which runs a research center in the City, of which it is a stakeholder.
For the mayor of Laval, Stéphane Boyer, “it is certain that the addition of a major player like Moderna to our project is a real privilege. We welcome them today with enthusiasm and will follow this file with great attention,” he said in a written statement.
INRS said it was “happy” to be able to cede land that corresponds to the needs of the future biomanufacturing plant, which will specialize in the production of messenger RNA vaccines, a technology that first spread with the vaccines against COVID-19.
“There is no doubt that welcoming a partner of this magnitude will contribute to the influence of the Laval technology park in Quebec and Canada and will energize the ecosystem of life sciences and health technologies”, indicated the research institution in an email.
Construction of the plant is due to begin in 2022 and is expected to be operational by the end of 2024, subject to planning and regulatory approvals, it said.
Health Minister Christian Dubé said on Twitter that “Moderna’s arrival in Quebec is a sign of health innovation. This is major, and we are very proud of it.”