SK Bioscience to Supply South Korea's First Homegrown COVID-19 Vaccine
SK Life Science
Developer of Therapeutics for Central Nervous System Disorders
AstraZeneca
Biopharmaceutical Manufacturer
Pfizer
Pharmaceutical R&D Developer
Moderna
mRNA Therapeutics Developer
Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical R&D Developer
Novavax
Innovative Vaccine Developer
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is an agency under the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea. It is responsible for the prevention, investigation, and quarantine of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and rare diseases, and conducts various experimental studies to improve the health of the Korean people. The agency was established on January 19, 2004, and is located in the Osong Health Technology Administration Complex, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, North Chungcheong Province. On May 10, 2020, President Moon Jae-in stated in his third-anniversary inaugural address that, to strengthen responses to various infectious diseases including Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was subordinate to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, would be upgraded to an independent Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The agency officially began operations on September 12, 2020, with Jung Eun-kyeong, the former director-general, continuing her service as its first commissioner.
On March 21, SK Life Science announced that it had signed a supply contract with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) for the COVID-19 vaccine candidate GBP510 in South Korea. The contract covers the supply of 10 million doses. After the completion of GBP510's development, SK Life Science will deliver the vaccines in batches according to the KDCA’s vaccination plan. So far, all vaccines administered in South Korea—AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen, and Novavax—are foreign-developed, making the SK vaccine the first domestically produced vaccine to be put into use.
(Cailian Press)
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