CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Moderna, Inc., (Nasdaq: MRNA) a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients, today announced the appointment of Dan Staner as Vice President and General Manager, Switzerland, effective today. Switzerland is the first country outside of North America to host a Moderna regional hub and commercial organization.
Mr. Staner is responsible for Moderna’s presence and activities in Switzerland, building a team to cover a range of functions – medical, regulatory, pricing, reimbursement, market access, government affairs and commercial operations – for the Swiss market. As Moderna builds its European footprint, Mr. Staner will work in close collaboration with Mr. Nicolas Chornet who was recently appointed as SVP International Manufacturing, Europe, based in Basel.
Recently, the Swiss Federal Government concluded an agreement with the Company for the procurement of 4.5 million vaccine doses of mRNA-1273, its investigational vaccine against COVID-19. In May 2020, Moderna and Lonza, a Swiss-based company, also announced a strategic collaboration to enable larger scale global manufacture by Lonza of mRNA-1273 and additional Moderna products in the future.
“I am first and foremost honored to have joined Moderna. I am very excited to have the responsibility for building Moderna’s first commercial organization outside of North America,” said Mr. Staner. “I look forward to working with Switzerland’s healthcare stakeholders as we face the immediate challenge of COVID-19. This is a wonderful opportunity for Switzerland to continue its leading role in innovation and biopharmaceuticals for the benefit of society globally.”
“Switzerland is a leader in life-sciences, with a dynamic pool of industry talent, scientists, research organizations, investors and global health policymakers,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna. “Since Moderna’s founding, Switzerland has played an important role in Moderna’s development thanks to the long-term support of our Swiss investors and their business advice. Opening our first subsidiary outside North America in Switzerland is a natural step for Moderna. I am pleased to welcome Dan Staner to the Moderna team. I had the chance to work with Dan at Lilly and I know that he has a proven track record in building and leading global biopharmaceutical commercial teams in Switzerland and around the world.”
Mr. Staner brings over 25 years of experience in the global pharmaceutical industry, principally with Eli Lilly. His previous leadership roles have included finance, marketing, strategy, global product development. and general management. His geographic responsibilities at different times covered Switzerland, Europe, USA, Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. He is a Swiss national and holds an MSc in Economics and Business Management from H.E.C. University of Lausanne.
About Moderna
Moderna is advancing messenger RNA (mRNA) science to create a new class of transformative medicines for patients. mRNA medicines are designed to direct the body’s cells to produce intracellular, membrane or secreted proteins that can have a therapeutic or preventive benefit and have the potential to address a broad spectrum of diseases. The company’s platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, providing Moderna the capability to pursue in parallel a robust pipeline of new development candidates. Moderna is developing therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases and cardiovascular diseases, independently and with strategic collaborators.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., with a European headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, Moderna currently has strategic alliances for development programs with AstraZeneca PLC and Merck & Co., Inc., as well as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past five years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including regarding the Company’s development of a potential vaccine against the novel coronavirus, the potential for mRNA-1273 to prevent COVID-19 disease and slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the Company’s international expansion and staffing efforts, and plans to increase and scale production of mRNA-based medicines. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “may,” “should,” “could”, “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond Moderna’s control and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others: the fact that there has never been a commercial product utilizing mRNA technology approved for use; the fact that the rapid response technology in use by Moderna is still being developed and implemented; the fact that the safety and efficacy of mRNA-1273 has not yet been established; potential adverse impacts due to the global COVID-19 pandemic such as delays in regulatory review, manufacturing and clinical trials, supply chain interruptions, adverse effects on healthcare systems and disruption of the global economy; and those other risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Moderna’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and in subsequent filings made by Moderna with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by law, Moderna disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Moderna’s current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.
