SK Bioscience Signs Production Agreement for Ebola Vaccine Candidate with MSD

SK Bioscience announced on the 8th that it has signed a new production contract for the next-generation Zaire Ebola vaccine candidate with the global healthcare company Merck & Co., Inc. (MSD) of the United States.

At the contract signing ceremony held on the 4th in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Sanet Chatopadhyay, Senior Vice President of Merck (MSD) USA, Park Min-su, 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, and Choi Chang-won, Vice Chairman of SK Discovery (from left), are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by SK Bioscience

At the contract signing ceremony held on the 4th in Jongno-gu, Seoul, government officials including Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, attended, along with MSD representatives such as Sanet Chattopadhyay, Senior Vice President of MSD's Manufacturing Division, Raman Rao, Director of the Hilleman Laboratories, and SK Bioscience representatives including Choi Chang-won, Vice Chairman of SK Discovery, Ahn Jae-yong, President of SK Bioscience, and Kim Hoon, Head of Global Research & Business Development (R&BD) at SK Bioscience.

MSD, in collaboration with the Hilleman Laboratories?an international non-profit research institute jointly established with the Wellcome Trust, the world's largest medical research funding foundation based in the UK?is developing a next-generation Zaire Ebola vaccine candidate that improves the process efficiency and thermal stability of the already commercialized Zaire Ebola vaccine 'Ervebo.' Through this, they aim to contribute to increasing global supply and improving accessibility of the Zaire Ebola virus vaccine. SK Bioscience has received the related development and technology transfer for this candidate and will produce it at the L House facility in Andong-si, Gyeongbuk. After obtaining approval from health authorities, the vaccine will be supplied to international organizations for use in managing Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

EVD is a severe hemorrhagic fever disease that progresses rapidly after infection with the Ebola virus. Since its first discovery in 1976, the Ebola virus has caused several outbreaks, resulting in significant human and economic losses. Although six types of Ebola viruses have been identified, the Zaire Ebola virus has been the primary cause of outbreaks over the past 20 years.

Chattopadhyay, Senior Vice President of MSD, stated, “MSD strives to find innovative solutions to improve global access to vaccines and make them easily available, as exemplified by this collaboration with the Hilleman Laboratories and SK Bioscience.”

Choi Chang-won, Vice Chairman of SK Discovery, also said, “This collaboration is a significant milestone in our efforts to contribute to global health improvement, showcasing SK Bioscience’s production capabilities and global network recognized through COVID-19. Based on our shared belief in resolving vaccine supply imbalances in low- and middle-income countries and expanding vaccine accessibility, we hope to see further cooperation among the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, SK, MSD, and the Hilleman Laboratories.”

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