Fighting Ebola

(from left) MSD Vice Chairman Sanat Chattopadhyay, Korean Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo, and SK discovery Vice Chairman Choi Chang-won pose for a commemorative photo after signing a new production agreement for a new Ebola vaccine candidate at a ceremony in Seoul on May 8.
(from left) MSD Vice Chairman Sanat Chattopadhyay, Korean Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo, and SK discovery Vice Chairman Choi Chang-won pose for a commemorative photo after signing a new production agreement for a new Ebola vaccine candidate at a ceremony in Seoul on May 8.

SK bioscience announced on May 8 that it has signed a new production agreement for a next-generation Ebola vaccine candidate with global healthcare company MSD.

The signing ceremony in Seoul was attended by government officials including Park Min-soo, vice minister of Health and Welfare; Sanat Chattopadhyay, vice chairman of MSD; Raman Rao, CEO of Hilleman Laboratories; Choi Chang-won, vice chairman of SK discovery; Ahn Jae-yong, president of SK bioscience; and Kim Hoon, head of Global R&D at SK bioscience.

MSD is collaborating with Hilleman Laboratories, an international nonprofit research organization, to develop a next-generation Zaire Ebola vaccine candidate with improved process efficiency and thermal stability compared to the currently used Zaire Ebola vaccine Ervebo.

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe, rapidly progressive hemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus (EBOV). Six varieties of Ebola viruses have been identified, but the Zaire Ebola Virus has been the primary cause of outbreaks over the past 20 years. The virus has caused several outbreaks since it was first identified in 1976, causing significant human and economic damage.

Copyright © BusinessKorea. Prohibited from unauthorized reproduction and redistribution