244 Million Doses of Moderna Vaccine for Samba Contract Manufacturing to Be Introduced Domestically This Week (Comprehensive)

SK Bioscience Contract Manufacturing of AZ Vaccine Followed by Second Domestic Vaccine Introduction
First Domestic Production of mRNA Vaccine

Authorities "Negotiating Domestic Introduction of Future Production Volumes"

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine [Image Source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The initial batch of 2.44 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, contract-manufactured (CMO) by Samsung Biologics, will be introduced to South Korea this week.

On the 26th, Ryu Geun-hyuk, the 1st Chief Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Vice Minister of Health and Welfare), stated at the regular COVID-19 briefing, "The initial batch of 2,435,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine contract-manufactured by Samsung Biologics is planned to be introduced domestically within this week." This means that all the available initial doses produced by Samsung Biologics will be supplied domestically.

As of today, a total of 17,877,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine have been introduced into South Korea. Once this shipment is completed, more than half of the 40 million doses that Moderna plans to supply this year will have been delivered domestically.

Samsung Biologics' production of the Moderna vaccine was based on the contract manufacturing agreement signed between Samsung Biologics and Moderna during President Moon Jae-in's visit to the United States for the Korea-US summit in May. Since then, the government has been in continuous discussions with Moderna regarding the domestic introduction of the Samsung Biologics-produced vaccine, ultimately deciding to bring it into the country.

The day before, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety completed the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification for Samsung Biologics' vaccine manufacturing facility, and upon the request of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, emergency use authorization was also approved on the same day, finalizing the domestic introduction of the Moderna vaccine.

Incheon Songdo Samsung Biologics Plant 3 (Photo by Samsung Biologics)

This introduction marks the second case of a vaccine produced by a domestic company being administered to the public, following the AstraZeneca vaccine contract-manufactured by SK Bioscience. It is also the fourth vaccine produced domestically, following the AstraZeneca, Novavax, and Sputnik V vaccines currently in production. Notably, it is significant as the first production of a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine in South Korea.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety explained that, as the first domestically produced mRNA vaccine, the product was evaluated through professional verification procedures including GMP assessment and comprehensive quality inspections. Considering the heat-sensitive nature of mRNA vaccines, the entire manufacturing process was meticulously evaluated to ensure aseptic conditions were maintained.

Health authorities anticipate that this introduction will secure the safety of future vaccine supplies and expressed their commitment to facilitating the domestic introduction of vaccines produced by Samsung Biologics. Jung Eun-young, Director of the Vaccine Introduction Office at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, stated, "From the perspective of securing vaccine supply safety and streamlining distribution, it is necessary to introduce domestically contract-manufactured doses domestically. When production occurs domestically, we can promptly monitor production and supply status, thereby enhancing supply stability." She added, "It has been agreed that the initial batch will be supplied domestically, and for subsequent shipments, we will consult with Moderna considering approval details and future vaccination plans."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.