SK Bioscience CEO Ahn Jae-yong, left, poses with Sanofi Global Head of Research and Development Vaccines Jean-Francois Toussaint, on screen, after signing the bilateral agreement in this handout photo released Monday. Courtesy of SK Bioscience
By Nam Hyun-woo
SK Bioscience and global pharmaceutical giant Sanofi signed an expanded agreement to jointly develop next-generation pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) for both children and adults worth up to 530 billion won ($365.3 million), the Korean biotech said Monday.
The agreement builds on the two sides’ existing collaboration to develop and commercialize the GBP410, a PCV candidate, and includes the companies’ commitment to develop innovative next-generation PCVs beyond GBP410.
Under the terms of the agreement to develop next-generation PCVs, Sanofi will pay SK Bioscience an upfront payment of 50 million euros ($52.2 million), which will be followed by development and commercial milestone payments.
The research and development costs for the vaccine will be shared equally by the two companies, while Sanofi will bear all costs related to commercialization. Once commercialized, SK Bioscience will have commercial exclusivity in Korea, while Sanofi will commercialize the vaccines in all other markets. SK Bioscience will receive royalty payments on product sales outside of Korea.
PCV is the dominant type of vaccine against pneumococcal infections, accounting for 94 percent of the global revenue of pneumococcal vaccines, according to the company. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PCV helps protect against pneumococcal bacteria, which can cause pneumonia, ear, sinus and blood infections, and even meningitis.
According to Evaluate Pharma, the global pneumococcal vaccine market is projected to grow from 11.9 trillion won in 2024 to 14.2 trillion won in 2028, with an average annual growth rate of 4.7 percent.
SK Bioscience and Sanofi will soon also initiate the phase 3 clinical trial for GBP410, making a step toward the candidate’s commercialization.
The global phase 3 studies will evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of GBP410 in more than 7,700 healthy infants, toddlers, young children and adolescents aged 6 weeks to 17 years after up to four doses, depending on the age at enrollment.
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