Merck Study: mRNA Technology a 'Game Changer' for Asia-Pacific Vaccine Manufacturers

• 87% of respondents deemed mRNA a key modality for the future
• More than 60% vaccine makers surveyed plan revamp or new facilities for mRNA manufacturing to meet demand
• Skilled personnel, tech-transfer expertise, reliable supply chain, and regulatory guidelines critical to new technology adoption

MUMBAI, India, May 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent study sponsored by Merck, a leading science and technology company, mRNA technology is a "game-changer" for Asia-Pacific (APAC) vaccine manufacturers. Nearly 40 manufacturers participated in the survey.

"Vaccine manufacturers in APAC are looking to build capacity for mRNA technology over the next two to three years, while continuing to produce both traditional and modern cell-based vaccines," said Josephine Cheng, Senior Consultant, Process Solutions APAC at the Life Science business sector of Merck. "Across APAC, governments are investing and supportive of driving therapeutic discovery and manufacturing. With the range of tools we offer, we can better equip vaccine manufacturers to treat the regional and global population."

The study interviewed vaccine manufacturers across APAC, including research institutes, pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Eighty-seven percent deemed mRNA a promising technology, expecting it to be a key modality in the future. This is based on the perception that the mRNA platform benefits from shorter development time and templated manufacturing processes, proven efficacy, lower biohazard risk for operators, and flexibility in covering different types of diseases and variants.  

Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, China and India are among the markets actively exploring to develop mRNA technology. Over sixty percent of the vaccine makers prefer to revamp or establish new facilities especially for mRNA with expansion planned over the next two to three years. 

To effectively move mRNA forward, respondents highlighted the need for skilled personnel trained in these new technologies, tech-transfer expertise, a reliable supply chain, and mRNA-specific regulatory guidelines.

Merck's contribution to future vaccine manufacturing

Merck's Life Science business supports mRNA manufacturers helping accelerate speed to market, ensuring safety and efficacy, to reducing complexity across the entire mRNA process to help accelerate delivery of mRNA vaccines to patients worldwide. More information is available on sigmaaldrich.com/vaccines

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 64,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2022, Merck generated sales of € 22.2 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.

All Merck news releases are distributed by email at the same time they become available on the Merck website. Please go to www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.