SK Bioscience and Sanofi Launch Meningococcal Vaccine "MenQuadfi"

Expanding the Immunization Portfolio for Infants and Children

SK Bioscience is expanding its immunization portfolio for infants and young children by introducing a variety of vaccines to the domestic market through collaborations with global partners.

Mencord P, Quadrivalent Meningococcal Vaccine. SK Bioscience

On January 9, SK Bioscience announced that it has newly launched the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine "MenQuadfi Injection" in Korea in cooperation with the Korean branch of global biopharmaceutical company Sanofi. MenQuadfi is a vaccine developed by Sanofi. It can be administered to individuals from 6 weeks to 55 years of age and prevents invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by the major meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, and Y. Notably, among the A, C, W, and Y meningococcal vaccines approved in Korea, MenQuadfi is the only product that includes serogroup A and can be used in infants aged 6 weeks to under 24 months. SK Bioscience is responsible for the domestic distribution and supply of this vaccine for infants and children.

MenQuadfi features a fully liquid formulation that can be administered immediately without any dilution process. This simplifies the preparation process, enhances efficiency in medical settings, and helps reduce the possibility of errors during preparation.

The vaccine is administered as a 0.5 mL intramuscular injection per dose: infants aged 6 weeks to under 6 months receive a total of four doses; infants aged 6 months to under 24 months receive two doses; individuals aged 2 to 55 years receive one dose.

Meningococcal infection is transmitted through respiratory secretions such as nasal discharge or saliva. Because infection can occur via asymptomatic carriers, prevention is especially important. The bacteria can exist asymptomatically in the human nasopharynx and, under certain conditions, invade the bloodstream or central nervous system, causing meningitis or sepsis. The risk of infection increases with close contact among family members or in communal living environments.

Given these characteristics, major developed countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada have included meningococcal vaccines in their national immunization programs for infants, children, and adolescents, or operate regular immunization systems based on official national recommendations. This is a proactive prevention strategy, considering the unpredictable transmission patterns, high fatality rate, and burden of aftereffects.

In Korea, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency recommends vaccination for high-risk groups who are relatively more susceptible to infection, such as immunocompromised individuals, laboratory workers, military trainees, university dormitory residents, travelers or residents in outbreak areas, and contacts during outbreaks.

Jae Yong Ahn, CEO of SK Bioscience, said, "With the introduction of MenQuadfi, we have expanded the options for preventing invasive meningococcal disease among infants and children in Korea. We will continue to strengthen the domestic infectious disease prevention environment through global partnerships and consistently supply vaccines that contribute to public health improvement."