SK Bioscience Expands Global Partnerships... Strengthening Vaccine Pipeline Competitiveness

Hilleman Laboratories Holds Board Meeting in Korea
to Strengthen Strategic Partnership with SK Bioscience

SK Bioscience is strengthening its global vaccine partnerships as it continues efforts to expand its influence in the global market.

On October 29, SK Bioscience announced that board members of Hilleman Laboratories, a global vaccine research institute, visited Korea to tour the company's headquarters and research center in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, and to discuss mid- to long-term directions for collaboration between the two organizations.

Jae-yong Ahn, President of SK Bioscience (sixth from the left in the front row), Raman Rao, CEO of the Hillman Institute (eighth from the left in the front row), and other officials from both companies are posing for a commemorative photo. SK Bioscience

This visit followed an unprecedented board meeting held by Hilleman Laboratories in Korea to reinforce its strategic partnership with SK Bioscience. During the visit, the two sides focused on expanding cooperation in vaccine research and development as well as technological collaboration.

SK Bioscience and Hilleman Laboratories formalized their strategic partnership in 2023 by signing a joint development agreement for the 'next-generation Zaire Ebola vaccine.' Since then, they have maintained end-to-end collaboration, covering process development, technology transfer, and commercialization of vaccine candidates. Moving forward, both parties plan to further expand the scope of their partnership to include next-generation vaccine platforms and the development of new vaccine technologies to respond to infectious diseases.

Hilleman Laboratories is an institution jointly established by global pharmaceutical company MSD (Merck) and the UK-based non-profit Wellcome Trust. It contributes to improving vaccine accessibility and public health worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries.

During the visit to Pangyo, the Hilleman Laboratories board directly observed SK Bioscience's R&D infrastructure and commercialization capabilities. They highly evaluated the company’s potential as a key global hub for collaboration, with strengths in both vaccine research and manufacturing. Both sides also held in-depth discussions on concrete action plans to expand joint research and technology exchange.

Raman Rao, CEO of Hilleman Laboratories, stated, "SK Bioscience is a reliable global partner with capabilities spanning the entire cycle from research and development to production and commercialization. This visit to Korea marks a highly meaningful step toward realizing Hilleman’s vision of expanding global vaccine accessibility."

Jae-yong Ahn, President of SK Bioscience, said, "Collaboration with international health partners such as Hilleman Laboratories is a key strategy for SK Bioscience to become a global vaccine hub. We will continue to expand our collaborative network to contribute to the global response to infectious diseases and to the stabilization of vaccine supply chains."

Meanwhile, SK Bioscience is maintaining partnerships with major global health organizations such as the Gates Foundation, CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). Based on these partnerships, the company is strengthening its position as a leading enterprise contributing to innovative vaccine development and the improvement of global public health.

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