SK bioscience said on the 26th that, together with IDT Biologika (IDT), a German contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) company it acquired in 2024, it has been selected as a corporations to carry out a large-scale vaccine development project under a European Union (EU) agency.
This project is phase one of a next-generation vaccine development initiative led by the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) under the European Commission (EC) by mandate of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority. The two companies will form a three-party consortium with Australian vaccine platform corporations Vaxxas to develop patch-type vaccines for seasonal influenza for older adults and pandemic (avian influenza) for all age groups. This is the first time SK bioscience has won a project from a European health authority.
The project is part of an EU-funded program aimed at strengthening next-generation vaccine commercialization and supply capacity in Europe. HaDEA will provide a total of €12.9 million (222 billion won) for phase-one research, including a phase 1 clinical trial. Depending on technology validation and clinical outcomes, if development advances to phase 3 and the final stage, support could expand to as much as €225 million (about 383.6 billion won).
In particular, this award is the first case of securing global funding through collaboration from the initial planning stage by the two companies since SK bioscience acquired IDT. Through this, it is seen to have laid the foundation for the European market entry of influenza vaccine technology developed domestically.
In the consortium, IDT, as a local European corporation, will oversee the contracting entity and project management. Upon entering the commercialization stage, it will also serve as a production hub for vaccine drug substance.
SK bioscience will supply the seasonal influenza vaccine SkyCellflu and the pandemic (avian influenza) vaccine drug substance under development based on its own cell culture technology, and will conduct clinical development jointly with Vaxxas. Vaxxas will be responsible for the high-immunogenicity microarray needle (HD-MAP) patch technology and production of research patches for phase 1 clinical use.
The patch-type influenza vaccine being developed by the three companies aims to be a high-immunogenicity product that induces a strong immune response with a small amount of antigen. Short attachment time and heat stability that allows room-temperature storage are also expected to improve ease of administration.
According to market research firm Datamonitor, the seasonal influenza vaccine market for older adults is about $459 million a year (about 620 billion won), with competition intensifying for premium formulations.
SK bioscience plans to use this project as a springboard to target the premium influenza vaccine market for older adults and expand Europe-wide capabilities for pandemic influenza response. The company is currently conducting a global phase 3 clinical trial of a next-generation pneumococcal vaccine (GBP410) with Sanofi, and is concurrently developing a universal sarbecovirus vaccine supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and next-generation mRNA-based vaccines.
David Peacock, CEO of Vaxxas, said, "This project demonstrates a shared commitment to strengthening capabilities against seasonal and pandemic influenza through investment in next-generation delivery technology."
Ahn Jae-yong, president of SK bioscience, said, "This is the first case where the two companies' global networks and technological capabilities have combined to yield business results since the IDT acquisition," adding, "We will continue to expand opportunities for the European entry of our in-house developed vaccines."