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Moderna, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients, confirmed that the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (MHLW) and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd have agreed to purchase and distribute 50 million doses of mRNA-1273, Moderna’s vaccine candidate against COVID-19, to support Japan’s aim of providing vaccines to the Japanese public as soon as possible, subject to necessary regulatory approvals. Moderna is responsible for the manufacture and supply of Moderna’s vaccine candidate, and Takeda, with the support of the MHLW, the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) and Moderna, is responsible for all import, local regulatory, development and distribution activities in Japan to ensure timely access starting during the first half of 2021.
“We thank the MHLW and Takeda for their support and for partnering with us to bring mRNA-1273, our vaccine candidate against COVID-19, to Japan. We appreciate the confidence of the MHLW in Moderna and mRNA-1273, which we hope will help address the pandemic, especially given the encouraging data we have recently published together with the NIH related to the clinical trial in the elderly and older adult population,” said Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to our expected first review of our interim efficacy data, which is expected in November.”
About Moderna
Over the past nine years, Moderna has invested in creating and developing a novel platform for designing and manufacturing a new class of mRNA-based vaccines. The investments in this proprietary platform have enabled Moderna to expeditiously create, manufacture and clinically develop mRNA-1273 to potentially address the current COVID-19 pandemic. A summary of the company’s work to date on COVID-19 can be found here. mRNA-1273 currently is not approved for use by any regulatory body.
Moderna is advancing messenger RNA (mRNA) science to create a new class of transformative medicines for patients. mRNA medicines are designed to direct the body’s cells to produce intracellular, membrane or secreted proteins that can have a therapeutic or preventive benefit and have the potential to address a broad spectrum of diseases. Moderna’s platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, providing the Company the capability to pursue in parallel a robust pipeline of new development candidates. Moderna is developing therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, independently and with strategic collaborators.
