Researcher inspecting vaccines at Andong L House. Photo courtesy of SK Bioscience
SK Bioscience announced on the 11th that it will start developing a vaccine to counter the COVID-19 mutant virus. Up to $14.2 million (approximately 16 billion won) of research and development is supported by the International Private Organization for Infectious Diseases and Innovation (CEPI).
SK Bioscience is currently conducting phase 1 and 2 clinical trials of the Corona 19 vaccine’GBP510′. The plan is to use this vaccine’s development platform to create a vaccine against mutant viruses.
Up to $12.5 million (about 14.1 billion won) for process development to expand GBP510 to commercial production scale is also supported by CEPI. The two organizations will also continue to discuss ways to cooperate in the phase 3 clinical and commercialization phase of GBP510. When the development is completed, it will be supplied to the world through the COVAX facility, an international vaccine supply organization.
The company was selected as the target of support for’Wave2′, a next-generation Corona 19 vaccine development project promoted by CEPI in December.
SK Bioscience plans to continue further research after the development of vaccine candidates for the corona mutant virus. In order to increase the preventive effect, additional vaccinations will be conducted on the’immune enhancing vaccine (booster shot)’ and the’multivalent vaccine’ that prevents more than one virus.
Ahn Jae-yong, CEO of SK Bioscience, said, “We are pleased to cooperate with CEPI once again for the research and development of a COVID-19 mutant virus vaccine. I will complete it in a way,” he said.
Reporter Park In-hyuk [email protected]
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