SK bioscience announced on March 21 that it has shipped about 440,000 doses of cell-cultured influenza vaccine SKY Cellflu from Andong L-House to its Thai partner Biogenetech. SKY Cellflu is a vaccine of SK bioscience’s own development.
The vaccine supplied this time is a strain for flu predicted for 2024 in the southern hemisphere by the World Health Organization (WHO), marking the first time that SKY Cellflu has been exported to the southern hemisphere. Based on this, SK bioscience expects to expand its sales to the southern hemisphere including the Southeast Asian market in the future.
Thailand is a country that stretches from north to south and is affected by the WHO’s flu vaccination guidelines for the southern and northern hemispheres simultaneously, requiring continuity of vaccine supply from the first half of the year to the second half of the year. In addition, Thailand’s Center for Disease Control has recently launched a large-scale immunization program for allied health workers in 31 major tourist areas as the country has seen a resurgence of flu since the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the Thai flu vaccine market has huge growth potential.
Globally, SKY Cellflu has received product approvals in 12 countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Chile. It is currently in the process of receiving approvals in 10 more countries.
SK bioscience is also focusing on a glocalization project to build a vaccine hub to ensure stable global supply. In July 2023, the company signed an MOU with the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), a state-run pharmaceutical company under the Thai government, to transfer SKY Cellflu production technology to a local factory for commercialization. The company is also discussing various forms of cooperation with countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, including the establishment of R&D and production infrastructure and technology transfers.
“The export of SKY Cellflu to Thailand is a stepping stone to expanding our global market beyond the Southeast Asian and Southern Hemisphere markets,” said Ahn Jae-yong, president of SK Bioscience. “We will not only develop blockbuster new vaccines such as a next-generation pneumococcal vaccine scheduled to enter Phase III clinical trials this year, but also diversify markets for existing products to improve our short-to-mid-term business performances.”