SK Bioscience Holds Completion Ceremony for Pneumococcal Vaccine Production Facility in Andong

Securing a Large-Scale Production Facility
for the 21-Valent Pneumococcal Vaccine
Co-Developed with Sanofi

SK Bioscience has secured a large-scale commercial production facility to enter the global pneumococcal vaccine market.

Ahn Jaeyong, President of SK Bioscience (fifth from the left), and Thomas Triomphe, Senior Vice President of Sanofi Vaccine Business Unit (sixth from the left), along with key executives from both companies, are conducting the completion ceremony cutting event. SK Bioscience

On June 30, SK Bioscience announced that it had held a completion ceremony for its pneumococcal vaccine production facility at its vaccine manufacturing plant, 'L HOUSE,' located in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. The expanded facility has been established to serve as the production base for 'GBP410,' a 21-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PCV21) candidate currently being co-developed with global pharmaceutical company Sanofi.

The completion ceremony, held on June 27, was attended by a large number of key executives from Sanofi, including Thomas Triomphe, Senior Vice President of the Vaccine Business Unit, reflecting high expectations for the product’s success.

Through this expansion, SK Bioscience has extended the existing vaccine production building within L HOUSE, securing a new space of approximately 4,200 square meters (about 1,300 pyeong). This facility will serve as the production base for the 21-valent pneumococcal vaccine candidate 'GBP410' and is also expected to obtain certification for current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

'GBP410,' which is being co-developed with Sanofi, is currently undergoing global Phase 3 clinical trials involving more than 7,700 participants ranging from infants (from 6 weeks old) to adolescents (up to 17 years old) in countries such as Australia, the United States, and Korea. GBP410 is the first vaccine candidate in Phase 3 clinical trials for infants and young children to include more than 20 serotypes, and it is expected to make a significant contribution to reducing the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), which remains a serious health issue within this age group.

Both companies view this expansion not merely as an infrastructure upgrade, but as a tangible outcome of their strategic partnership, and plan to further strengthen their collaborative system to successfully complete the global launch in the future.

Thomas Triomphe, Senior Vice President of Sanofi, stated, "Following the initiation of the Phase 3 clinical trial for PCV21, the completion of this production facility marks another meaningful milestone in the collaboration between Sanofi and SK Bioscience. I hope everyone remembers that we are taking important steps together to create meaningful change in overcoming pneumococcal disease."

Ahn Jaeyong, President of SK Bioscience, said, "Today's completion ceremony is more than just a celebration of construction; it is a meaningful occasion to confirm the trust and cooperation that SK Bioscience and Sanofi have built over the past 11 years. Based on our close partnership with Sanofi, we will accelerate our efforts for global advancement under the motto 'One Team, One Goal.'"