SK Bioscience's 'Skycovione' Confirms Efficacy Against Omicron BA.1

SK Bioscience's recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine 'SKYCovione Multi (GBP510)'

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] SK Bioscience's first domestic COVID-19 vaccine, 'SKYCovione Multidose', has been confirmed to be effective against the original Omicron variant BA.1.

On the 13th, SK Bioscience announced that through an extended study of the phase 1 and 2 clinical trials of the synthetic antigen COVID-19 vaccine SKYCovione, they analyzed the cross-neutralizing ability of the booster dose and confirmed an immune response against BA.1. In a study involving 81 healthy adults, about 7 months after the primary two-dose SKYCovione vaccination, an additional booster dose of SKYCovione was administered. The neutralizing antibody titer capable of neutralizing the infectivity of the Omicron variant and inducing preventive effects increased approximately 25-fold compared to immediately after the second dose. Furthermore, it was about 72 times higher compared to the time just before the booster dose, at around 7 months after the second dose.

In addition to this extended phase 1 and 2 study, SK Bioscience is conducting extended studies of the existing phase 3 clinical trials and booster dose clinical trials on individuals previously vaccinated with authorized COVID-19 vaccines to verify the effectiveness against additional Omicron variants, thereby validating the diverse potential uses of SKYCovione in the endemic era.

Especially as the Omicron variant is resurging globally, the market potential is expected to expand further. According to the international statistics site Our World In Data, the recent weekly average of daily new COVID-19 cases worldwide increased nearly twofold from about 484,000 on June 12 to about 894,000 on July 10, a month later. In South Korea as well, daily confirmed cases have been 'doubling' (more than twice compared to the same day of the previous week), prompting health authorities to declare a COVID-19 resurgence.

Jae-yong Ahn, CEO of SK Bioscience, stated, “As the world gradually returns to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic, new variants continuously threaten humanity,” adding, “Along with various clinical trials of SKYCovione, we will accelerate the development of multivalent vaccines and universal vaccines using this platform and do our best to prepare for the endemic.”