Overview

• The facility is designed to produce up to 100 million mRNA doses a year, with surge capacity to about 250 million in a health emergency, and will support roughly 150 skilled roles.
• It is licensed to make Covid vaccines, will seek flu licensure, and is intended to supply NHS seasonal vaccination programmes.
• Ministers including Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Science Minister Patrick Vallance backed the opening, which forms part of Moderna’s UK research and manufacturing commitment exceeding £1bn over 10 years.
• The launch contrasts with recent decisions by Merck, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and GSK to scale back UK projects over drug‑pricing disputes, though Moderna notes vaccines sit outside the contested VPAG rebate scheme.
• The centre will also run R&D and trials in areas such as cancer, rare diseases and immune disorders, with Moderna citing more than 20 UK clinical trials across 110 sites and active manufacturing and laboratory teams on site.