Seqirus “to supply next-gen influenza vaccine” in Korea

Seqirus Korea holds press conference to celebrate launch of the subsidiary in Korea

Will close the gap from SK Bioscience’s discontinued production of cell culture derived vaccine

Plans to introduce the first adjuvanted vaccine …also develops mRNA vaccines

A new competitor has entered the influenza vaccine market.

 

Seqirus, a subsidiary of the Australia-based biotech firm CSL, will be entering the Korean market in earnest in the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Seqirus Korea held an online press conference to celebrate the official launch of its Korean subsidiary on the 16th.

 

At the conference, Seqirus threw its hat into the Korean flu vaccine market with its self-developed next-generation vaccine.

 

At the conference, Gee-Seung Yoo, CEO of Seqirus Korea said, “Our global office is deeply interested in the significance and potential held by the Korean market.

 

With our official launch, we hope to establish various partnerships in Korea.” Seqirus is a vaccine company parented by the Australia-based pharmaceutical company CSL.

 

The company is known for its extensive influenza vaccine portfolio that covers a wide range of egg-based, cell culture-based, adjuvanted vaccines.

 

Its vaccines, which are produced in 5 global vaccine manufacturing facilities, are supplied to over 20 countries including the UK, Australia, the US, and Canada.

 

Seqirus planned its entrance into the Korean market due to COVID-19.

 

As the Korean vaccine developer, SK Bioscience was unable to manufacture its influenza vaccines due to the manufacture of consigned COVID-19 vaccines.

 

As egg-based flu vaccines cannot be used on patients with egg allergies, the Korean government had to urgently bring in Seqirus’ vaccine due to this temporary gap in cell culture-derived influenza vaccines that had been solely produced by SK Bioscience in Korea.

 

Using the opportunity as momentum, Seqirus made the decision to start directly supplying its egg-based Afluria that had been marketed through Boryung Biopharma until then.

 

Seqirus has extensive vaccine development experience that goes back over 100 years.

 

It owns both egg-based and cell culture-derived flu vaccines and became the first company in the US to receive approval for an adjuvanted flu vaccine in 2020.

 

With the launch of its subsidiary in Korea, Seqirus plans to introduce its cell culture-derived flu vaccine ‘Flucelvax’ and its adjuvanted flu vaccine ‘Fluad’ in Korea.

 

The company is known to have high expectations for its adjuvanted flu vaccine.

 

General flu vaccines can be less effective in immunocompromised elderly, or when the vaccine strain does not match with the one in circulation, or due to egg adaptations, etc.

 

In such cases, adjuvanted flu vaccines can improve immune reactions and increase the prevention effect.

 

Seqirus’s adjuvanted flu vaccine ‘MF59’ uses squalene that is produced in the liver.

 

MF59 induces an immune response in the injection site and promotes antigen uptake to increase immune response by activating T cells and B cells.

 

Jonathan Anderson, Medical Head of the International Region of Seqirus said, “The use of adjuvants triggers a broader and stronger antigen response and induces longer antigen response.

 

If the MF59 that was first applied to a trivalent vaccine is applied to a quadrivalent vaccine, we will be able to achieve a strong antibody response even with a small amount.” In addition, Seqirus plans to develop various next-generation influenza vaccines including high-dose adjuvanted cell culture-derived vaccines and mRNA vaccines.

 

Gee-Seung Yoo, CEO of Seqirus Korea said, “As Korea’s healthcare partner, Seqirus Korea will be at the forefront of the to protect public health from influenza viruses.

 

We will work our best to promptly introduce and supply the company’s various vaccines in Korea.”