SK Bioscience announced on January 12 that it finally obtained the product license for Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine Nuvaxovid (NVX-CoV2373), which was applied to the S. Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on November 15 last year.
Nuvaxovid is the first company in Korea to receive approval for a synthetic antigen-based COVID-19 vaccine.
With this permission, SK Bioscience will independently produce and supply two of the five types of COVID-19 vaccines licensed in developed countries such as the US and EU in Korea.
SK Bioscience is consigning the raw solution and finished product of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and supplying it to the global and domestic markets in large quantities.
With this product approval, SK Bioscience expects to be able to quickly supply Nuvaxovid to Korea after receiving national shipping approval.
Last year, SK Bioscience signed a pre-purchase contract with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to supply 40 million doses of Nuvaxovid to Korea.
Nuvaxovid is the first synthetic antigen-based COVID-19 vaccine and is expected to create a market differentiated from existing vaccines.
It is used for a long time in vaccines against influenza (flu), hepatitis B, and cervical cancer, and its safety and efficacy have been proven.
In addition, Nuvaxovid can be stored in refrigeration conditions of 2 to 8 degrees, so it can be distributed using the existing vaccine distribution network, and thawing is unnecessary at the inoculation stage.
In a clinical trial conducted by Novavax in the U.S. and Mexico on over 30,000 adults over the age of 18, Nuvaxovid’s effectiveness in preventing the COVID-19 virus reached 90%. In terms of safety, most of the adverse reactions that occurred after vaccination were mild or moderate.
A recent study conducted by Novavax also confirmed the immune response of Nuvaxovid to Omicron and other strains of the virus.
