[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] SK Bioscience is taking a prominent role in securing domestic supplies of COVID-19 vaccines by leading research and development efforts and engaging in contract manufacturing and contract development agreements with global pharmaceutical companies.
The vaccine specialist SK Bioscience was selected as the priority negotiation candidate in March for the “Synthetic Antigen-Based COVID-19 Subunit Vaccine Candidate Development” project announced by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
Since then, SK Bioscience secured vaccine candidates by producing antigens (substances that induce antibody formation for immunity when administered to humans) using recombinant DNA technology through various protein culture and purification platforms. After completing preclinical trials, the company submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) on the 6th.
Once the MFDS approves the clinical trial plan, SK Bioscience will proceed to Phase 1 clinical trials.
Based on its existing synthetic antigen production technology, experience in developing MERS vaccines, and accumulated know-how in all areas related to vaccine approval, clinical trials, manufacturing, and production, SK Bioscience expects to develop a COVID-19 vaccine that ensures safety and efficacy within a short period.
Additionally, SK Bioscience received $3.6 million USD (approximately 4.4 billion KRW) in research and development funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop multiple COVID-19 vaccine antigens using various expression technologies.
Accordingly, SK Bioscience is collaborating with a world-leading antigen design research institute in the United States and conducting COVID-19 vaccine process development and preclinical trials utilizing the Gates Foundation’s support funds.
Going forward, SK Bioscience plans to apply its vaccine platform technology to discover multiple COVID-19 vaccine candidates and identify the optimal antigen.
Through this, SK Bioscience aims to secure a diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates with higher immunogenicity alongside its government-supported in-house COVID-19 vaccine development.
Besides its own vaccine development, SK Bioscience is actively working to introduce vaccines developed globally into the domestic market.
In July, the company signed a Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO) agreement to manufacture the COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford in the UK.
The contract includes provisions for technical cooperation between the two companies, with SK Bioscience producing the bulk drug substance of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate and AstraZeneca supplying it globally.
In August, SK Bioscience signed a contract for contract development and contract manufacturing with the U.S. biotech company Novavax to develop the antigen, produce, and supply globally?including South Korea?the COVID-19 vaccine candidate ‘NVX-CoV2373’.
Under this agreement, SK Bioscience received the antigen manufacturing technology for Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate ‘NVX-CoV2373,’ developed additional processes, and produces it at the L House of the Andong vaccine plant for global supply.
SK Bioscience plans to cooperate with the government’s two-track strategy of securing COVID-19 vaccines domestically through development and overseas through importation, aiming to secure vaccines within a short timeframe.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
