SK Bioscience Participates in Davos Forum Vaccine Consortium... "Establishing a Hub-Type Vaccine Center"

Establishment of Regional Vaccine Hub and Network
"International Cooperation and Support Needed"

SK Bioscience was invited as a private sector representative panelist to discuss equitable global vaccine supply measures during the World Health Assembly. At this event, SK Bioscience called for borderless cooperation and support for smooth vaccine development and supply.

On the 22nd (local time) at the 'Regional Vaccine Manufacturing Collaboration (RVMC)' event held in Geneva, Switzerland, Jaeyong Ahn, President of SK Bioscience (second from the left), is speaking. (From left) Global Health Ambassador Dr. John-Arne Røttingen, President Jaeyong Ahn, John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization, and Ong Ye Kung, Minister of Health of Singapore. Photo by SK Bioscience

On the 22nd (local time), SK Bioscience announced on the 23rd that it was invited as a panelist to attend the 'Regional Vaccine Manufacturing Collaboration (RVMC)' event held in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Regional Vaccine Manufacturing Collaboration (RVMC) is a global consortium launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting last May to address the issue of vaccine inequality between countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. This event was held in conjunction with the 76th World Health Assembly, which began on the 21st and lasts for ten days.

Under the theme "National and Regional Health Security: From mRNA to Sustainable Regional Manufacturing Frameworks," the event was attended by representatives of global public health non-profit organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), as well as health policy leaders including the Minister of Health of South Africa and the Minister of Health of Singapore.

Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK Bioscience, introduced the "Glocalization" project during the discussion session and suggested complementary measures and prerequisites for achieving the vision of the Regional Vaccine Manufacturing Collaboration (RVMC). CEO Ahn explained the background of the project, stating, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing the importance of global partnerships and the issue of global vaccine inequality led us to conceive a business model of regional vaccine hubs."

The Glocalization project is part of SK Bioscience’s new business strategy, which involves transferring vaccine research, development, and production capabilities to overseas governments and partners to establish production infrastructure tailored to the needs of each region. Discussions are currently underway in countries in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

CEO Ahn explained, "This project is promoted through partnerships with the governments and local companies of countries that can serve as 'hubs'?regions without vaccine manufacturing facilities but capable of supplying vaccines to neighboring countries." He added, "In line with the vision of international organizations to resolve global vaccine supply imbalances, we transfer manufacturing capabilities, process development platforms, technology, and expertise to enable self-competitiveness in vaccine production."

He then presented the prerequisites for the successful realization of the Regional Vaccine Manufacturing Collaboration (RVMC) vision. Specifically, these include ▲ consensus on a clear definition of regional hubs and selection of suitable hub countries ▲ establishment of an integrated regulatory system at the regional hub level ▲ securing a proactive funding framework and advance purchase system for global initiatives ▲ international efforts to build a data-driven global supply chain ecosystem.

Finally, CEO Ahn emphasized, "The key is ultimately the participation of players who possess both technology and business capabilities, so reasonable incentives must be prepared to encourage participation."

Ahn Jae-yong, President of SK Bioscience. [Photo by SK Bioscience]