mRNA tech best defense against pandemics, says Moderna director

Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology is humanity’s best bet against pandemics, an executive of Moderna Korea said Thursday, as the company shipped the first batch of its updated Covid-19 vaccine Spikevax ahead of the upcoming rollout in the country.

Kim Hee-soo, country medical director at Moderna Korea, speaks during a press conference held on Thursday in central Seoul. [MODERNA KOREA]

Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology is humanity’s best bet against pandemics, an executive of Moderna Korea said Thursday, as the company shipped the first batch of its updated Covid-19 vaccine Spikevax ahead of the upcoming rollout in the country.

“The mRNA platform is the best option we have currently for pandemics we have experienced already, and may experience in the future,” said Kim Hee-soo, country medical director at Moderna Korea, during a press conference held on Thursday in central Seoul.

Moderna’s mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine, which has supplied more than one billion doses through the pandemic, is the company’s first commercial product.

“It took 11 months for Moderna’s vaccine to roll out in the market, whereas the previous vaccines usually took 10 years for development,” said Kim.

The Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company will develop vaccines for cancers and rare diseases by 2028, according to the director. There are currently 48 projects under development at Moderna, with 35 of those in the clinical trial phases.

Moderna Korea on Wednesday shipped the first batch of its Covid-19 vaccine Spikevax, which has been updated against the latest variants for this season’s national Covid-19 vaccination program. Samsung Biologics handled the manufacturing of the vaccine.

The Covid-19 vaccine rollout will begin on Oct. 19.

“Though Covid-19 is now considered to be in its endemic phase, there has been a constant inflow of newly infected patients through the summer,” said Noh Ji-yun, a medical professor at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University’s Guro Hospital, during the press conference.

“There are still patients with underlying medical conditions, or low immunity and elderly people that need to be admitted to hospital for Covid-19 treatment,” said Noh, emphasizing the importance of the vaccine program for those at higher risk from the disease.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]