Press Release > CordenPharma & Moderna Extend Lipid Supply Agreement for Moderna’s (mRNA-1273) Vaccine Candidate
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CordenPharma's 3D model of a Liposome with lipids encapsulating mRNA
Luxembourg, 28 May 2020 -- CordenPharma, a full-service Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for the supply of APIs, Drug Products & Pharmaceutical Packaging, announces the signing of an amendment to their existing manufacturing agreement with Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients.
The extension enables CordenPharma to manufacture large-scale volumes of Moderna’s lipid excipients to be used in the manufacture of Moderna’s vaccine candidate (mRNA-1273) against the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).
Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will further extend their supply relationship by expanding the manufacturing agreement originally signed in 2016 between Moderna and CordenPharma Switzerland. The amended agreement now includes CordenPharma Chenôve (FR) and CordenPharma Colorado (US) for the manufacture of larger-scale volumes of lipids, while continuing to draw upon CordenPharma Switzerland’s long-standing reputation as a leader in specialized lipid manufacturing. The expanded agreement will begin immediately in order to rapidly meet Moderna’s increasing demand over the upcoming months, with an emphasis on securing their future long-term supply.
Juan Andres, Moderna’s Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer, comments, “We are pleased to extend our agreement with CordenPharma. This expansion will increase supply of lipid excipients used to manufacture our mRNA products. We appreciate CordenPharma’s global presence and CDMO expertise as we scale manufacturing of mRNA-1273.”
Dr. Michael Quirmbach, CordenPharma’s President & CEO comments, “We are thrilled to extend our long-term agreement to help support Moderna by leveraging our strong global network of GMP manufacturing facilities across Europe and the US to supply the immediate need of lipid excipients for their coronavirus vaccine. We are hopeful Moderna’s technology represents a positive impact for people suffering from COVID-19 across the globe, and we are honored to contribute to the industry as a whole.”

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