SK Bioscience, speeding up its development of COVID Vaccine

SK Bioscience is pushing for product approval for GBP510 in the first half of the year

The government pre-purchases SK Bioscience vaccines worth 200 billion won

SK Bioscience is speeding up the commercialization of its own COVID-19 vaccine.

 

In particular, it is predicted that the approval of the Novavax vaccine will have a positive effect at a time when the GBP510 is aimed at licensing items in the first half of this year.

 

On the 12th, the MFDS approved Nuvaxovid PFS, NovaVax's COVID-19 vaccine.

 

The item approval of this vaccine was carried out by SK Bioscience, not Novavax.

 

Novavax handed over the right to sell Novavax vaccines to SK Bioscience in Thailand and Vietnam, including Korea, through an expansion contract with SK Bioscience late last year.

 

◆Nuvaxovid-GBP510 The pharmaceutical industry believes that this experience of product approval will be of great help to SK Bioscience.

 

It is evaluated that SK Bioscience succeeded in solving similar types of practice questions before applying for GBP510, which is expected in the first half of this year.

 

SK Bioscience is developing its own COVID-19 vaccine GBP510, which is similar to Novavax vaccine.

 

Phase 3 clinical trials are currently underway.

 

The goal is to obtain item permission within the first half of this year.

 

GBP510 adopted a gene recombination vaccine platform.

 

It is a method of inducing antibody production that can respond to viruses by injecting antigen proteins directly.

 

Nuvaxovid, which was approved this time, was also developed as a gene recombination platform.

 

Item licensing strategies are similar, such as obtaining "basic inoculation" permission first and "additional inoculation (booster shot)" permission later.

 

SK Bioscience started clinical trials for GBP510 booster shots in December last year.

 

The target number of test subjects is 550.

 

When the clinical trial is completed, the company plans to apply for a change in permission to inoculate GBP510 with booster shots after completing the second vaccination of Pfizer and Moderna.

 

◆ NovaVax vaccine stock solution + finished product and sales are expected to be 200 billion won+ SK Bioscience is also expected to benefit from the approval of Novavax vaccine items.

 

At the end of last year, the government decided to pre-purchase 10 million doses of SK Bioscience's vaccine.

 

To this end, the company plans to invest 192 billion won in the budget allocated to the KDCA.

 

Fees for consignment production of NovaVax vaccine stock solution (DS) and finished product (DP) are also profits that SK Bioscience can earn.

 

SK Bioscience signed an expansion contract with Novavax in December last year regarding consignment production of vaccines.

 

The contract period is until December this year.

 

SK Bioscience uses three out of nine lines of Andong L House to produce Novavax vaccines.

 

Of the three lines, two are responsible for the production of undiluted solutions and one is responsible for the production of finished products.

 

SK Bioscience receives consignment fees based on undiluted production and sales fees based on complete sales from NovaVax.

 

The undiluted solution produced in L House is supplied to Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.

 

If SK Bioscience receives additional item permits in Thailand and Vietnam, SK Bioscience's profits are expected to increase further from 192 billion won purchased by the Korean government.

 

The finished vaccine is expected to adjust production at the request of NovaVax.

 

Novavax has announced its vaccine production at 2 billion doses this year.

 

Among them, SK Bioscience is also said to account for a considerable portion.

 

It is expected to be responsible for most of the supply to Asian countries except Japan.

 

Depending on how many Novavax requests for consignment production, SK Bioscience's fees are expected to increase.

 

According to SK Bioscience, L House's production capacity is up to 450 million to 500 million doses per year.

 

Arithmetically, it is possible to produce 50 million to 55 million doses of vaccines per year on one line.