Curatis, a developer of vaccines and immune enhancers, is showing strong performance. Since its listing on the 15th of last month, it had been on a downward trend but is now showing a meaningful rebound. The news that it has been preliminarily selected as the lead institution for the national project “Unmet Needs Vaccines for Future Growth High Value-added Vaccine Development,” supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Global Vaccine Technology Leading Project Group, appears to be influencing the stock price. Its main development product is the world’s first adult and adolescent tuberculosis vaccine, “QTP101.”
As of 10:21 AM on the 12th, Curatis is trading at 3,945 KRW, up 13.36% from the previous day.
Curatis expects to accelerate the Phase 2b clinical trial of the tuberculosis vaccine candidate QTP101 for adolescents and adults through this support. It is also conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial of a multivalent tuberculosis therapeutic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccine.
The project consists of two parts: “Phase 2b Clinical Trial for the Development of Tuberculosis Vaccine for Adolescents and Adults” and “Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Next-generation New Multivalent Tuberculosis Therapeutic DNA Vaccine.” Curatis is responsible for the former, the Phase 2b clinical trial for the adolescent and adult tuberculosis vaccine development.
Tuberculosis is a disease caused by infection of the lungs, kidneys, nerves, and other organs by the tuberculosis bacteria. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 10.6 million tuberculosis patients occurred in 2021 alone, with 1.6 million deaths. The demand for tuberculosis vaccines is also increasing. In a report released last year, WHO estimated the investment value for tuberculosis vaccines at $372 billion (approximately 500 trillion KRW).
South Korea has a high BCG vaccination rate of 98.5%. However, it ranks first in tuberculosis incidence and third in mortality among OECD member countries for 26 consecutive years. This is because the efficacy of the BCG vaccine lasts about 10 years and is not expected to be effective in adolescents and adults. BCG is the only tuberculosis vaccine developed in 1912 and still in use today. However, its efficacy duration is 10 to 15 years, making it ineffective for adolescents and adults, which is a critical drawback. Therefore, the need for a safe and effective tuberculosis vaccine for adolescents and adults is steadily increasing. There is a need to develop adolescent and adult tuberculosis vaccines that can complement the BCG vaccine.
Curatis’s QTP101 is receiving much attention as it is the fastest developing tuberculosis vaccine currently under development. Curatis is accelerating development with the goal of launching QTP101 in 2025.
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