US vaccine manufacturer Moderna Inc. announced Wednesday, May 3, that it will establish an Enterprise Solutions hub, its third globally, and a commercial presence in the Philippines to support its Asia Pacific operation.
The biotech company issued the announcement separate from a Malacanang statement on the company’s planned Shared Services Facility (SSF) in the Philippines being one of the economic deals bagged at the ongoing five-day official working visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the US.
The Moderna SSF is intended to serve the entire Asia-Pacific Region and will be the only SSF of Moderna in Asia and the third in the world. It will also initially employ 50 staff at the start of its operations.
"We are pleased to expand our footprint into the Philippines by establishing an Enterprise Solutions Hub and commercial operations. The Philippines has a critical mix of talent and global business service expertise, which makes it an excellent location to scale efficiently and provide regional support," said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.
“The Asia Pacific region is integral to Moderna’s business, with established subsidiaries in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. We look forward to further solidifying our presence.”
The Moderna shared services facility will provide enterprise solutions in the Philippines, similar to its counterparts in Warsaw, Poland, and Atlanta, US, which were established in May 2021 and March 2022, respectively. Its existing locations in Atlanta, Georgia services the Americas, and Warsaw, Poland, which covers Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The Hub will initially house finance, pharmacovigilance, medical, and HR personnel, in addition to commercial- focused roles, to support its direct presence in the market. Moderna will continue to identify opportunities to host additional functions and business services as the company grows and operations mature. Moderna plans to begin operations in the Philippines in the second/third quarter of 2023 with approximately 40-50 employees.
The Moderna Enterprise Solutions Hub Philippines will provide new capabilities, service lines, and capacity to help meet the growth of Moderna’s commercial and business operations in the Asia Pacific region.
Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual said that Moderna’s Shared Service Facility (SSF) for Pharmacovigilance in the Philippines would be supported by English-speaking and tech savvy young professionals.
"The Philippines' Health Information Management Services (HIMS), a sub-sector of IT-BPM is growing, with over 17,000 FTEs as of February 2023. Part of the advantages of the Philippines in the HIMS sector is the country's young, tech-savvy, and English-speaking population," said Pascual.
In the statement, Jose Manuel G. Romualdez, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States, said the Philippines is well-positioned to host global services and facilities that advance health and pharmaceutical technology. “Our partnership with Moderna underscores the Philippines’ position in promoting healthcare and addressing emerging health threats. It also highlights Moderna’s role in delivering life-saving vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ability and promise of their mRNA platform,” said Romualdez.
“We are very pleased that Moderna has selected the Philippines as the location for its third Enterprise Solutions Hub, serving the Asia Pacific market. We are confident that the Philippines has the talent and the capabilities to support Moderna’s operations and drive its expansion throughout the region,” Romualdez concluded.
Moderna is a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced plans to establish an Enterprise Solutions Hub in the Philippines.