Medicago USA starts vaccine production in North Carolina
Expects to take full occupancy of plant in October
Medicago USA, a subsidiary of Canadian biotechnology firm Medicago, has started operations at its 97,000ft2 plant-based vaccine facility in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
‘Commencing operations at our state-of-the-art vaccine facility within a year of holding our groundbreaking ceremony is a remarkable accomplishment,’ said Mike Wanner, vice president US operations at Medicago USA.
‘Keeping a technology-transfer project of this magnitude on schedule is a testament to our science, our manufacturing platform and our team.’
A partial occupancy permit has allowed Medicago to begin seeding operations immediately with full occupancy expected at the end of October.
Medicago has signed a US$21m Technology Investment Agreement with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the vaccine facility.
The firm intends to demonstrate its capacity to produce 10 million doses/month of influenza vaccines with the potential for further expansion in the future.
