Cellid Signs COVID-19 Vaccine CMO Contract with Bionex

Cellid CI (Provided by Cellid)

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Cellid, which is developing a COVID-19 vaccine, has signed a contract for COVID-19 vaccine contract manufacturing (CMO) with Vinex.

On the 30th, Cellid announced that it had signed a CMO contract with Vinex, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biopharmaceuticals, to ensure stable vaccine supply in preparation for the commercialization of the COVID-19 vaccine 'Ad-CLD-Cov19-1.'

The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Cellid is a single-dose vaccine similar to the existing Janssen vaccine. According to the company, the vaccine is highly effective with just one dose, offering convenience and enabling faster development compared to other vaccines through a shorter clinical trial period. Additionally, Cellid's proprietary adenovirus vector platform has already been proven safe through clinical trials of cancer immunotherapy vaccines, and by simply replacing the antigen, it can respond quickly to COVID-19 variants.

Cellid was selected on the 23rd for the '2021 Clinical Trial Global Outbound Support Project' supported by the National Clinical Trial Foundation, and plans to enter global Phase 2b/3 clinical trials in October in cooperation with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). The company is also pursuing domestic approval and emergency use authorization from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Vinex is a CDMO company with experience in developing and producing various biopharmaceuticals such as antibodies, bispecific antibodies, and Fc-fusion proteins. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, it has expanded into vaccine CMO due to increasing production requests for various COVID-19 vaccines including DNA vaccines, adenovirus vaccines, and subunit vaccines. It currently has a production capacity of 12,000 liters, enabling mass production.

Kang Chang-yul, CEO of Cellid, said, "Through the contract with Vinex, which has excellent biopharmaceutical production capabilities, we expect to create synergy by combining the expertise and technology of both companies, leading to the rapid commercialization of the COVID-19 vaccine."