Moderna, an American pharmaceutical company that rapidly grew by commercializing messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, has set a goal to receive approvals for 10 products related to vaccines and treatments within three years.
Director General Lee Han-sol of Moderna Korea noted during an mRNA media briefing held on the 14th at the HJ Business Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, that "currently, we are conducting 45 development programs, and among them, we plan to seek approvals for 10 programs within the next three years." He also mentioned that the next-generation COVID-19 vaccine mRNA-1283, which provides the same preventive effect as existing vaccines with a lower dose, is currently undergoing approval processes in the United States.
mRNA serves as a blueprint that informs our bodies how to create proteins. mRNA vaccines introduce mRNA containing virus information into the body to synthesize viral proteins, inducing the production of antibodies. When vaccinated with the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, the proteins created in the body elicit an immune response that prepares to fight the virus. This method is different from traditional vaccines that directly inject viral proteins into the body.
The Director General added, "mRNA vaccines have several advantages compared to other types of vaccines, such as inactivated vaccines and recombinant protein vaccines," and emphasized that "there is no need for a cell culture process, allowing for faster production speed, and it can be easily adapted to new viruses and variants." Once an mRNA vaccine is developed, it can be rapidly modified to target new viruses in the event of another pandemic.
In particular, Moderna's mRNA platform technology is designed similarly to a computer operating system. This allows it to be easily integrated with other mRNA drugs, characterized by high manufacturing flexibility and fast development speed.
Moderna is currently advancing the development of medicines that incorporate mRNA technology in various therapeutic areas, including infectious diseases, rare diseases, and oncology.
Currently, Moderna is developing a cancer vaccine that combines "mRNA-4157" with the immune checkpoint inhibitor "Keytruda (pembrolizumab)" for patients with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in collaboration with Merck (MSD). The mRNA-based respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, "Emresvia," was launched in Europe following its release in the United States, and approval is expected in Korea this year. The development and launch of the next-generation COVID-19 vaccine, "mRNA-1283," is also underway.
The Director General stated, "The approximately 30 million doses of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines administered in the country have demonstrated excellent effectiveness and safety," adding that "since the rate of adverse event reports has significantly decreased after vaccination, safety and efficiency are continuously improving."
On the same day, Professor Lee Han-gil from Ajou University School of Pharmacy explained the impact of COVID-19 on our society. He stated, "According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, starting from the third quarter of last year, there has been an increase in infection cases due to COVID-19 variants, not only in Korea but also in the United States and Japan," noting that "the annual expense caused by COVID-19 in Korea, based on the employed population, is approximately 7 trillion won, leading to significant social and economic losses due to not only medical expenses but also the rate of severe cases requiring hospitalization and long COVID patients."
He explained that "in 2023, if an employee at a large domestic corporation gets vaccinated against COVID-19, it has been estimated that healthcare and labor loss expenses would be saved by about 1.1 billion won per 10,000 employees," adding that "vaccination could help prevent such social expenditures."