SK Bioscience Expands Southern Hemisphere Exports of Influenza Vaccine

Year-Round Operation of Influenza Vaccine Production Lines
Accelerating Entry into the Global Market

SK Bioscience's influenza vaccine Skyscellflu is being shipped from the Andong L House for export to the Southern Hemisphere. Photo by SK Bioscience

SK Bioscience announced on the 12th that it has started shipping its self-developed influenza vaccine 'Skycellflu' to countries in the Southern Hemisphere, including Southeast Asia and Latin America, and plans to supply a total of 750,000 doses (1 dose equals one vaccination) in the first half of the year.

This is the second time SK Bioscience is exporting influenza vaccines for use in the Southern Hemisphere, following its first export to Thailand last year. This signifies an expansion of exports to the Southern Hemisphere, allowing for increased production through year-round operation of the influenza vaccine manufacturing facilities, while also expecting cost reduction effects from continuous equipment operation.

Skycellflu is an influenza vaccine that has proven excellent immunogenicity and safety through clinical trials and is the world's first cell-cultured influenza vaccine to receive WHO PQ (World Health Organization Prequalification) certification. The cell-culture method is known to have a lower possibility of virus mutation during the production process compared to vaccines produced using fertilized eggs, resulting in a higher match rate with the actually circulating virus types. Additionally, the production period is shorter than the traditional fertilized egg method, enabling rapid production in case of pandemics or similar situations.

Based on this proven technology, SK Bioscience is actively pioneering new markets for its self-developed vaccines, including Skycellflu.

Skycellflu began full-scale exports last year by signing contracts with numerous countries in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. According to a recent report by global research firm Grand View Research, the global influenza vaccine market size was $7 billion (approximately 10 trillion KRW) in 2023 and is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 8.5% until 2030. In particular, the demand for vaccines is steadily increasing in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America due to a rise in hospitalizations caused by seasonal influenza.

SK Bioscience is also expanding the supply of its varicella vaccine 'Skyvaricella' to Latin America and Southeast Asia and is promoting the entry of its shingles vaccine 'Skyzoster' into the Asian market. The typhoid vaccine 'Skytipoid,' which secured WHO PQ certification last year, is also targeting the African and South Asian markets with high incidence rates, leveraging its advantage as a protein-conjugate vaccine that provides sufficient immunogenicity and long-term preventive effects with a single dose.

Government-level support continues for SK Bioscience's global expansion. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety revised detailed guidelines in January to flexibly apply risk-level assessments for national batch release of pharmaceuticals to help domestic bio companies enter overseas markets. Through this revision, export products manufactured at the same facility and process can apply the same risk level as domestic products. This science-based regulatory reform by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety shortened the national batch release period for export influenza vaccines, providing the background for Skycellflu to pioneer the South American market and expand in Southeast Asia.

Jae-yong Ahn, CEO of SK Bioscience, said, "Since vaccines developed with our technology have already proven global competitiveness through WHO PQ certification, we will aggressively develop overseas sales channels and expand markets. Based on active support from health authorities such as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, we will solidify our position as a global leading company, enhance the status of Korea's bio industry, and contribute to the improvement of human health."

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