Prequalification Approval
LG Life Sciences, the biopharmaceuticals unit of LG Group, announced on Feb. 11 that its self-developed 5-in-1 multifunctional vaccine Eupenta has received the World Health Organization’s prequalification approval (PQ).
The PQ approval is a preliminary qualification examination that evaluates the quality of medicines according to rigorous standards by the WHO. Once it is approved, a company can join the United Nation’s procurement bid, which means it could become a potential stable drug supplier to key U.N. affiliates, including UNICEF and PAHO.
Eupenta, developed exclusively by LG, is able to protect against five different childhood diseases, which are most common and have high fatality rates in children under the age of 5 such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and meningitis, with a single injection. Given the difficulties in production and process and stringent quality control regulations, only six companies in the world have met the WHO’s 5-in-1 vaccine PQ standards.
In addition, LG Life Sciences said that the product proved its superior efficacy and safety in a phase III clinical trial with 600 children conducted in the Philippines last year.