Moderna eyes to open Philippine facility in September

MANILA, Philippines — US-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna plans to open its shared service facility and commercial office in the country by September this year.

In a virtual roundtable yesterday, Patrick Bergstedt, senior vice president and general manager at Moderna, said the firm is moving very quickly with its plan to set up a shared service facility and commercial office in the country.

“We plan to have this facility up and running before the end of the third quarter, so by September of 2023,” he said.

Moderna’s planned shared service facility is among the investment commitments made during President Marcos’ visit to Washington earlier this month.

The firm declined to say how much investment would be made for the shared service facility and commercial office in the country as it is still in process of selecting the location.

Lukasz Wielochowski, head of Moderna’s Modern Enterprise Solutions hub in Poland, said the company has shortlisted Bonifacio Global City and Makati for the possible location of the facility.

The shared service facility in the Philippines will be Moderna’s third in the world and will focus primarily on the Asia Pacific region.

Moderna’s two other hubs are located in Poland, which is focused on Europe and the Middle East, and in Atlanta, Georgia, which caters to the Americas.

Bergstedt said the Manila facility would be hiring 40 to 50 Filipinos this year.

“As we get into 2024 and beyond, obviously, there is opportunity to expand and continue to support what the Philippines is providing for the Asia Pacific region but also potentially beyond that,” he said.

Moderna’s Manila facility will be providing solutions across finance, pharmacovigilance, medical, procurement, information technology, regulatory, as well as human resources.

As for its commercial office, Bergstedt said the initial operations would focus on activities with the government through vaccination programs.

He said the company intends to go beyond providing coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines in the country by bringing its other medicines and vaccines over time.

While the first phase of its operations in the Philippines would be focused on enterprise solutions and not cover manufacturing, he said the company is open to opportunities in the country including collaboration in research and development.

“We went through a robust process to select the Philippines. We are here for a long-term commitment and we hope to continue to build upon that for the future,” he said.