Moderna reports record for UK clinical trials in 2023/24
Posted: 4 February 2025 | Catherine Eckford (European Pharmaceutical Review) | No comments yet
The announcement follows the completed construction of Moderna’s MITC and progress in its long-term partnership with the UK government.
Credit: Taljat David / Shutterstock.com
Two years after signing its strategic partnership with the UK government, Moderna, Inc. has made “substantial R&D investment and progress in the UK”, the company has declared.
The Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) began construction in April 2023 as the company’s state-of-the-art R&D and manufacturing facility.
[Moderna] was the biggest industry sponsor of clinical trials in the UK in 2023/24″
The site is anticipated to be fully operational later in 2025, “ready to deliver British-made COVID-19 vaccines, ensuring a robust supply for the UK public,” stated Darius Hughes, General Manager of Moderna UK. The pharmaceutical giant explained that the site will hold capacity to produce at least 250 million vaccine doses annually.
When plans for the facility were finalised in 2022, Steve Barclay, Health and Social Care Secretary commented: “By boosting our onshore vaccine manufacturing capability, we are a step closer to becoming the leading global hub for life sciences.”
Highlights of Moderna’s R&D progress in the UK
• A total of 23 clinical trials have launched since 2021
• Eight clinical trials were launched in 2024 (four in oncology and four in infectious disease, including mpox, seasonal flu and norovirus)
• In 2023, the UK enrolled the first patient worldwide to Moderna’s early phase cancer Checkpoint study
• To date, over 12,700 individuals in the UK have taken part in a Moderna clinical trial
• Moderna analysis demonstrated the company was the biggest industry sponsor of clinical trials in the UK in 2023/24. The data showed that 20 percent of participants in industry-sponsored clinical research were enrolled in a Moderna trial during this period. This is an increase from 14 percent in 2022/23.
“Through our partnership, Moderna is committed to becoming an integral part of the UK’s world-leading life sciences ecosystem, working in partnership with the government, academia, and the NHS to explore the full potential of our mRNA platform and co-develop solutions to help transform UK healthcare,” Hughes added.
Related topics
Big Pharma, Biopharmaceuticals, Clinical Development, Clinical Trials, Drug Development, Drug Manufacturing, Drug Markets, Industry Insight, Manufacturing, Research & Development (R&D), Therapeutics, Vaccines, Viruses
