On Thursday, Kühne+Nagel announced that it will ensure the worldwide distribution of the Moderna vaccine doses from production sites based in Europe. This includes distribution to markets in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, as well as parts of the Americas.
“Kuehne+Nagel will use its network of more than 230 operations worldwide to distribute the vaccine via road and air. In Europe alone, the company operates its own fleet of over 200 dedicated pharmaceutical transport vehicles. At all stages of transport and storage, product integrity at the required temperature of -20°C will be maintained,” said the firm on Thursday.
The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Swiss involvement
Moderna has made good use of Swiss know-how to help manufacture and roll out its vaccine. Quickstat, Kühne+Nagel’s clinical trial logistics subsidiary, has already been part of the supply chain for the Moderna vaccine, having supported the supply logistics for Phase II and Phase III clinical trials in the US.
Swiss pharma company Lonza will produce the Moderna vaccine in Switzerland for non-US markets. It is building three vaccine production lines in the western Swiss town of Visp at a cost of $210 million (CHF191 million) to supply 300 million doses annually for the rest of the world. In parallel, new production lines at Lonza’s site in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, will start making vaccine ingredients exclusively for the US.
On Wednesday, the European Union granted a conditional approval for the Moderna vaccine. However, Switzerland’s medical regulator has not yet given it the green light even though the Alpine nation was one of the early buyers. Switzerland will get 4.5 million doses of the vaccine, enough to vaccinate 2.25 million people if, as expected, two doses are needed per patient.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
Swiss reject biodiversity and pension reform proposals
Is artificial intelligence an advantage or a disadvantage for workers?
What is your experience with AI at work? Have you already used it? Has it helped you work better? Or has it caused you more stress, more work or caused you to lose your job? Tell us about your experiences!
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
This content was published on
The man who injured three children on Tuesday has been detained in pre-trial custody after a request by the public prosecutor’s office.
UN and global ski federation sign climate change agreement
This content was published on
The UN and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation want to draw attention to the effects of climate change on winter sports.
Swiss initiative wants to boost security of medical supplies
This content was published on
A people’s initiative calling for Switzerland to boost the development, production and storage of drugs has been submitted in Bern.
Public prosecutor wants custody for Zurich knife attacker
This content was published on
The Zurich public prosecutor's office has requested that the man who attacked and injured three children with a knife in Zurich on Tuesday be remanded in custody.
This content was published on
Swiss judges want to dissolve the traditional link between parties and court members, including mandatory contributions to a political party.
A full-time workload increases risk of cancer, says Swiss study
This content was published on
Full-time workers have an increased risk of cancer, say researchers from the University of Fribourg. The reasons for this are unclear.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Covid-19 vaccine: Why we still have a long wait ahead
This content was published on
Countries have started rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine, but it will likely take years to manufacture doses at the scale needed to reach the masses.
Swiss factory rushes to prepare for Moderna Covid-19 vaccine
This content was published on
Workers are racing to set up production lines at the Lonza factory in Visp to be able to start making a vaccine for US firm Moderna later this year.
Why Switzerland’s Moderna Covid-19 vaccine deal is risky
This content was published on
Switzerland’s vaccine order – its first such move – is a sign that it holds little hope for fair distribution of a Covid-19 shot.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.