QUEBEC CITY — Canadian biotech firm Medicago recently announced it has broken ground on a new commercial vaccine production facility in Quebec City.

The factory will come into operation in the winter of 2021 and the first doses of vaccines from the new plant are expected for the 2023 influenza season, said a Sept. 18 release.

Valued at $245-million, the 44,000-square-metre manufacturing complex will be located in the Estimauville Innovation Area in Quebec City, and will include the company’s headquarters as well as research and development and production facilities.

Medicago plans to produce 40 to 50 million doses of quadrivalent vaccines against seasonal influenza annually at the plant. In case of a pandemic, the factory will be able to produce a vaccine in five to six weeks, compared to five to six months for traditional vaccine technologies, the firm said.

Read the full story at canada.constructconnect.com.