BIOTECHNOLOGY company Moderna pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, and Kuehne+Nagel have agreed an international supply chain arrangement to provide distribution and storage of the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna.

The announcement follows the granting of conditional marketing authorisation by the European Medicines Agency for the vaccine.

Kuehne+Nagel will support the worldwide distribution of vaccine doses from Moderna’s international supply chain, based in Europe. This includes distribution to markets in Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa, and parts of the Americas.

Dan Staner, vice president head of EMEA region said, “We are proud to be partnering with Kuehne+Nagel from Europe to support the distribution of vaccines to global citizens.

“Following the recent approvals, this is another step closer to resolving the pandemic and an exciting time for both our companies and everyone involved.”

The arrangement includes distribution and warehousing of the vaccine from Kuehne+Nagel’s pharma hub in Europe. 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.

Kuehne+Nagel’s clinical trial logistics subsidiary, QuickSTAT, has been an integral part of Moderna’s vaccine supply chain as well, having supported Phase II and Phase III clinical trial supply logistics in the United States.