SK Bioscience rolls out 1st batch of Novavax vaccine

SK Bioscience rolled out the first batch of Nuvaxovid, Novavax’s synthetic antigen-based COVID-19 vaccine, the company said Wednesday.

On top of the 840,000 doses that were rolled out on Wednesday, SK Bioscience said it plans to supply a total of 2 million doses by the end of this month. The shipment follows the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s approval of the vaccine last month.

In December, SK Bioscience signed a contract with the US bio firm to secure the manufacturing and supply rights in Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

The local biopharmaceutical producer also had a deal with the government for the pre-purchase of 40 million doses of the vaccine. The vaccines will be distributed in steps under the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s plan, according to the company.

SK Bioscience said it expects Nuvaxovid to target a different market, as it is the country’s first synthetic antigen-based vaccine for the coronavirus. The company pointed out that synthetic antigen-based vaccines have proven their safety and efficacy, as they have been used for influenza and cervical cancer.

As Nuvaxovid can be stored at a temperature between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, SK Bioscience said the latest vaccines can be delivered through the existing distribution network.

The mass-scale global clinical trials by Novavax showed a 90 percent prevention effect for Nuvaxovid against COVID-19, according to SK Bioscience. The company added that Nuvaxoid has shown immunity against the highly contagious omicron variant from Novavax’s recent studies.

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)