Moderna Inc., (NASDAQ: MRNA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a five-year strategic agreement with the Government of Mexico, state-owned Laboratorios de Biológicos y Reactivos de México (BIRMEX), and Laboratorios Liomont (Liomont). The partnership is designed to establish a local messenger RNA (mRNA) ecosystem, enhancing Mexico’s health sovereignty and pandemic preparedness through domestic vaccine production and technology transfer.

Deal terms

Specific financial terms—including any potential upfront payments or total bio-buck value for the technology transfer—were not disclosed. Key known commercial and volume terms include:

  • Supply Volume: The Mexican government has awarded a contract for up to 10 million doses of Moderna’s 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Milestones & Royalties: Specific regulatory milestone payments and tiered royalties on local sales were not detailed in the initial MoU.
  • Approval Status: The agreement follows recent US FDA-aligned regulatory approval from Mexico’s Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS) for Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine for individuals aged six months and older.

Under the “work-share” arrangement, Moderna will provide its comprehensive respiratory vaccine portfolio and facilitate a technology transfer to Laboratorios Liomont, a private Mexican pharmaceutical firm. Liomont will utilize its state-of-the-art facilities to produce mRNA-1273 (the company’s COVID-19 vaccine) domestically. The parties will also collaborate on local clinical research and development (R&D) programs aligned with Mexico’s national health priorities.

Deal background

The agreement is a component of “Plan Mexico,” a government initiative aimed at attracting strategic investment and building resilient local production capacity.

Moderna has a history of similar sovereign-style partnerships; notably, the company has previously established long-term manufacturing agreements with the governments of Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. This “sovereign solution” model has become a hallmark of Moderna’s global strategy, allowing it to transition from a pandemic-response company to a permanent infrastructure provider for international public health. By partnering with local champions like Liomont and BIRMEX, Moderna strengthens its footprint in a market with growing demand for advanced biologics and preventative respiratory care.