Janssen Officials to Visit Korea as Early as This Week
GC Pharma, a major Korean pharmaceutical company, is in talks with Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson in the United States, over contact production of its COVID-19 vaccines.
Janssen's officials are reportedly scheduled to enter Korea as early as this week to conduct due diligence on GC Pharma’s plant in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province.
Janssen has developed a vector-type vaccine, which produces antibodies by injecting a harmless virus loaded with COVID-19 genetic information into the body. It can be stored and distributed at refrigerating temperature and people need to get one shot only. In Korea, Janssen’s vaccine was approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in April 2021. According to the data submitted by Johnson & Johnson to the ministry at the time, the vaccine’s prevention effect is 66.9 percent. In a recent study, Janssen said booster shots increase antibody levels nine times higher than before.
If GC Pharma signs a contract production deal with Janssen, domestic vaccine supply will be smooth. Part of the domestically produced volume could be given to Korea first, if Janssen accepts it. The amount of Janssen vaccines secured by Korea is 8.01 million doses -- seven million from a direct contract between the Korean government and Jassen and 1,012,800 doses promised by the U.S. government during the Korea-U.S. summit in May 2021. Of these, 1,514,000 doses are now in Korea. “There is a possibility that GC Pharma may produce Janssen vaccines not only for the domestic market but also for exports," said an official of a pharmaceutical company.