Celltrion said on March 19 that it has completed the establishment of a cooperative system with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), further speeding up the development of the treatment.
Celltrion has recently been selected as the preferred bidder for a state-run project to develop the Coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment, which was announced by the KCDC.
The company plans to work closely with the KCDC to put all of the company's capabilities into developing COVID-19 treatments that are spreading around the world. It has been focusing on developing COVID-19 therapeutic antibodies with the experience of developing new influenza multi-irritant drugs and antibodies to treat MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).
Celltrion recently received blood from a South Korean medical institution for COVID-19-recovered patients and has started to excavate candidate materials for new drugs to develop antibodies. Once it completes the development of antibody substances within six months, it plans to begin clinical trials immediately.
In an online press conference on March 12, Celltrion Group Chairman Seo Jung-jin said, "We will actively cooperate with government agencies so that the situation can end without further delay by striving to develop COVID-19 therapeutic antibodies."
Meanwhile, Celltrion will soon hold its second online press conference and announce progress in the development of COVID-19 treatments.