Medicago, a Canadian biotech company specializing in the development and production of plant-based vaccines and therapeutics, will build a new production complex in Quebec City, Canada. The $245 million project will create 200 new high-skilled jobs by 2019, adding to the team of 180 employees already working at Medicago's Quebec City office and laboratories. The project is expected to generate more than $461 million in direct and indirect economic benefits over the next five years.

Medicago's new complex will be built in Quebec City's Espace d'innovation D'Estimauville (Estimauville innovation park) and be completed by 2019. It will regroup Medicago's head office, research and development activities, and commercial production plant. Medicago's new 44,000 square meter facility will be located on a 90,000 square meter site. It will have the capacity to deliver up to 40 to 50 million doses of quadrivalent seasonal flu vaccines. In addition, work toward developing new products will take place over the upcoming years.

Medicago was recently awarded a contract by the US government to manufacture Ebola antibodies in its Quebec City pilot production plant for a study in non-human primates. The technology used can quickly produce large amounts of antibodies, thereby boosting production volumes to increase stockpiles across the globe.

Source: Medicago