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Competition could heat up in Australia’s flu vaccine market, which dominated by CSL, as Moderna pushes forward with local research into new flu shots and a combined flu/COVID vaccine.
Moderna managing director for Australia and New Zealand Michael Azrak said the company will continue to focus on respiratory virus vaccines, and is hopeful it can develop a combination shot that would be useful as COVID-19 becomes endemic.
Michael Azrak is leading Moderna’s surge into the Australian market.
“It’s all about improving public health. Compliance [with vaccines] is an issue – and it would be a wonderful invention for physicians or a pharmacist to be able to say, ‘Would you like your COVID/flu shot?’” he said.
Moderna is also working on a new vaccine solely for flu. If successful, the products could eventually be made onshore at the company’s messenger-RNA manufacturing plant, which will be built in Melbourne as part of a deal with the federal and Victorian governments.
Moderna’s entry into manufacturing in Australia means the country will eventually have two cutting-edge vaccine manufacturing plants in Melbourne, the second being CSL’s $800 million cell-based flu vaccine facility, which is set to be ready by mid-2026.
CSL is working on a mRNA flu vaccine, but the company has signalled it will not be influenced by other biotechs such as Moderna to expand further into mRNA products.
mRNA, or Messenger-RNA, is a type of vaccine technology first pioneered in COVID vaccines where the vaccine delivers genetic ‘blueprints’ to cells to teach the body to fight a disease, unlike traditional vaccines, which contain a weak or inactive form of a virus.
Mr Azrak, who was formerly managing director of pharma giant MSD Australia, would not be drawn on the impact that Moderna’s market entrance might have on CSL or the number of flu vaccines available in the country. However, he said he welcomed any innovation or research competition in Australia.
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is its first commercial product, but the Massachusetts-based biotech has long been focused on using messenger-RNA technology for a range of medical treatments.