Samsung Biologics to Prioritize Vaccine Production in Future Pandemics...Partnership with CEPI

Contributing to the Rapid Global Supply of Vaccines

Samsung Biologics will be the first to manufacture any vaccines developed in the event of another crisis similar to the COVID-19 pandemic (a global outbreak of infectious disease).

According to the industry on the 4th, Samsung Biologics and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) made this decision at the Vaccine Manufacturing Facilities Network (VMFN) partnership agreement signing ceremony held the previous day at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. The ceremony was attended by Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim, CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett, and others.

By joining the Vaccine Manufacturing Facilities Network, Samsung Biologics plans to cooperate with CEPI to rapidly supply vaccines worldwide in the event of a future pandemic and contribute to strengthening global health security. In addition, when a pandemic occurs, vaccines produced by Samsung Biologics will be supplied to Korea on a priority basis at CEPI's request.

CEPI is an innovative public-private partnership based in Norway that was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2017 to develop vaccines aimed at preventing future outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases. It counts government agencies from more than 30 countries, including Korea, as well as numerous global pharmaceutical and biotech companies, among its members.

CEPI has been investing in vaccine development to prevent novel viruses such as "Disease X," which are feared to have the potential to trigger another pandemic, as well as existing infectious diseases. It is providing broad support for a portfolio of vaccine candidates based on a variety of pathogens and platforms currently under development.

This partnership was signed as part of CEPI's "100 Day Mission" to achieve its goal of having initial approval and large-scale manufacturing readiness for a vaccine within 100 days of a pandemic emerging. Up to 20 million dollars (about 28.8 billion won) in initial funding is expected to be allocated to this partnership.

Under the partnership, Samsung Biologics will be designated as a "preferred" manufacturer for the production of vaccines supported by CEPI. In the event of a future pandemic, at CEPI's request, the company will produce up to 50 million doses of vaccine and drug substance (DS) that can be converted into up to 1 billion doses of drug product (DP) vaccines. In addition, the two sides plan to cooperate to strengthen chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) process development for recombinant protein vaccines and to expand reserve manufacturing capacity.

They will also conduct simulation exercises to ensure a rapid response in the event of a future pandemic. Under the agreement, Samsung Biologics will assume a scenario of an outbreak of wild-type H5 influenza and verify the speed and reliability of its end-to-end capabilities, from antigen development through vaccine manufacturing and supply.

By joining CEPI's Vaccine Manufacturing Facilities Network, Samsung Biologics is seen as having laid the groundwork to emerge as a vaccine production hub in the Asia-Pacific region. The company plans to further strengthen its leadership in global health security by contributing to the rapid supply of vaccines worldwide.

Based on its global biopharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities, Samsung Biologics has worked to establish a stable pharmaceutical supply system and strengthen the Republic of Korea's health security. In 2021, in cooperation with government agencies, it contributed to the pandemic response by becoming the first in Korea to manufacture and release Moderna's mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccine. In particular, it supplied vaccines just five months after signing a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) agreement with Moderna for fill-and-finish, thereby supporting the early containment of COVID-19 and Korea's rise as a vaccine hub.

Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim said, "Based on our collaboration with CEPI, Samsung Biologics will help build an ecosystem that can supply vaccines quickly and reliably in the event of a future pandemic, and will also contribute to strengthening Korea's vaccine sovereignty," adding, "We will continue to reinforce our pandemic response capabilities by leveraging our technological prowess and manufacturing expertise."

CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett said, "Samsung Biologics' biopharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities and technology will play a crucial role in strengthening the infrastructure needed to respond to infectious diseases worldwide," adding, "Through this collaboration, we expect to be able to rapidly manufacture vaccines at scale and significantly accelerate vaccine supply to medically vulnerable regions."

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