Airbus Faces Pressure After November Deliveries Dip Amid Industrial Setback 
ExxonMobil to Shut Older Singapore Steam Cracker Amid Global Petrochemical Downturn 
Proxy Advisors Urge Vote Against ANZ’s Executive Pay Report Amid Scandal Fallout 
YouTube Agrees to Follow Australia’s New Under-16 Social Media Ban 
Sam Altman Reportedly Explored Funding for Rocket Venture in Potential Challenge to SpaceX 
Asian Currencies Steady as Rupee Hits Record Low Amid Fed Rate Cut Bets 
Michael Dell Pledges $6.25 Billion to Boost Children’s Investment Accounts Under Trump Initiative 
U.S. Futures Steady as Rate-Cut Bets Rise on Soft Labor Data 
Hikvision Challenges FCC Rule Tightening Restrictions on Chinese Telecom Equipment 
OpenAI Moves to Acquire Neptune as It Expands AI Training Capabilities 
Asian Currencies Steady as Markets Await Fed Rate Decision; Indian Rupee Hits New Record Low 
Australia’s Economic Growth Slows in Q3 Despite Strong Investment Activity 
Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature 
Netflix’s Bid for Warner Bros Discovery Aims to Cut Streaming Costs and Reshape the Industry 
Oil Prices Hold Steady as Ukraine Tensions and Fed Cut Expectations Support Market 
Tesla Expands Affordable Model 3 Lineup in Europe to Boost EV Demand 
Amazon Italy Pays €180M in Compensation as Delivery Staff Probe Ends 
Samsung Biologics is said to be most likely to sign a deal with Moderna, an American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The contract is for the production of COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea.
Samsung and Moderna’s anticipated announcement
As per The Korea Herald, Samsung Biologics and Moderna may work together to boost vaccine production amid the vaccine shortage in the country. It was reported that the two companies may formally announce their deal at the summit where S. Korea’s President Moon Jae In and US President Joe Biden are set to meet.
A local TV station was said to have reported about the possibility of this business negotiation last weekend. Other media outlets followed suit and shared related reports.
In any case, Samsung Biologics did not confirm if it will indeed sign a contract with Moderna for vaccine production and supply. It was quite vague as the Incheon-based biotechnology company did not deny the reports as well. In a regulatory filing, there was a statement saying there is no decision yet about Moderna’s COVID-19 being manufactured in S. Korea.
The guessing game
There have been lots of reports as to which company that Moderna will partner with as it is reported to be very interested in producing its vaccine in the said Asian region. Various firms were mentioned, and initial rumor is that it will work with Hanmi Pharmaceuticals or GC Pharma.
And now, the most promising candidate for a deal with Moderna is reportedly Samsung Biologics that was suddenly added to the list of potential partners. Moderna’s CEO, Stephane Bancel, may visit S. Korea this month to survey as per the reports.
Maeil Business News pointed out that it was also reported earlier that Samsung Biologics will produce Pfizer vaccine but this was vehemently denied but with Moderna, it was different as the Korean firm would not acknowledge or deny and only saying that “nothing has been finalized yet.”
Thus, it was speculated that Samsung Biologics and Moderna are more likely to confirm their contract soon. The rumors of the partnership were heightened by the fact that the American pharma already started looking for senior executives for its office that will soon open in Korea.
