Who distributes Pfizer-Moderna vaccine in South Korea?

Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea most likely to import Belgian-made Pfizer vaccine

Without independent factory, Moderna could consign manufacturing or distribution to Korean company

Just as Pfizer has, Moderna is getting close to receive the U.S.

 

Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine.

 

Currently, the South Korean government is in negotiation with two companies to supply their vaccines in the country.

 

The attention is focused on how the vaccines would be manufactured and distributed as the government promised to ink the vaccine supply contract for 10 million people from each company.

 

Ultimately, Pfizer’s vaccine would likely to be manufactured in the vaccine manufacturing facility in Belgium and exported to South Korea via Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea.

 

The vaccine purchasing cost would be covered by the Korean government, but the import and distribution would be handled by Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea.

 

Moderna, on the other hand, does not own its manufacturing facility or a South Korean branch.

 

The rumor has it that a Korean company could sign a deal with the company to distribute the vaccine.

 

◆SK Bioscience to manufacture and distribute AstraZeneca vaccine The government has decided to import COVID-19 vaccine doses for total 44 million people.

 

Out of the total, the finalized contract secured doses for 10 million people each via COVAX Facility and AstraZeneca.

 

The government is in negotiation for the rest of the doses for 24 million people with Pfizer (10 million), Moderna (10 million) and Janssen (4 million).

 

SK Bioscience is to manufacture and distribute AstraZeneca

With the finalized contract, AstraZeneca’s vaccine would be manufactured and distributed by SK Bioscience.

 

Previously, the Korean government, AstraZeneca and SK Bioscience have signed a three-way contract for the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

The contract states SK Bioscience would manufacture the vaccine when AstraZeneca succeeds in developing one.

 

AstraZeneca has no other vaccine line up other than the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

The company has to seek after manufacturing facility around the world to manufacture the product, and SK Bioscience was selected in the end for the Asian region.

 

The vaccines manufactured by the Korean-based company would be supplied to other countries in Asian region that also made deals with AstraZeneca.

 

However, the biggest issue is that the multinational company’s vaccine has not completed the Phase III trial.

 

The supply can initiate only when the vaccine finishes its Phase III trial.

 

And after it confirms the efficacy and safety, the company needs to undergo a procedure starting from approval application to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) approval and the state authorization for shipping.

 

AstraZeneca expects the vaccine would conclude the Phase III trial in early next year.

 

The government’s announcement on the plan to begin the vaccination from March next year seems to have been influenced by the company’s news.

 

◆Inked a contract with CEPI, GC Pharma to supply through the Facility The vaccine doses for 10 million people contracted through COVAX Facility have not decided which product vaccine would be manufactured and supplied for how many doses.

 

The COVAX Facility is an international cooperation project, created by the World Health Organization (WHO), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, to ensure fair distriution of COVID-19.

 

So far, 180 countries have joined the effort.

 

With the fund raised by the participating countries, COVAX Facility is currently funding nine vaccine developments, including the ones by Moderna, AstraZeneca, Novavax, Inovio, CureVac and GSK.

 

From the list of the companies, Moderna has the vaccine within arm’s reach to commercialization.

 

The U.S.

 

FDA Advisory Committee is scheduled to convene a meeting on Dec.

 

17, and the emergency use authorization could be granted on Dec.

 

18 at earliest.

 

The pharmaceutical companies that received the funding from COVAX Facility are responsible to supply vaccines to 180 member countries.

 

When Moderna earns the FDA approval for the vaccine use, other COVAX member countries would also get access the vaccine.

 

During the process, GC Pharma is getting the spotlight.

 

GC Pharma has signed a contract with CEPI for the use of manufacturing facility in last October.

 

When a company supported by CEPI successfully develops a COVID-19 vaccine, the Korean company can manufacture 500 million doses from its vaccine factory.

 

The company already plans to manufacture CEPI-designated COVID-19 vaccines from March 2021 through May 2022.

 

The company would use brings vaccine components to the factory to fill and finish the complete product.

 

Some of these manufactured doses may be distributed throughout South Korea, but the government has not signed the contract completely, yet.

 

If Moderna or other candidate company shakes hands with CEPI on manufacturing facility, GC Pharma would then sign an official contract with the companies.

 

But as Moderna has not received the official green light, the detailed manufacturing volume has not even been set.

 

◆Pfizer vaccine for 10 million to be imported via Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea

Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea is most likely to supply Pfizer’s vaccine for 10 million people.

 

Pfizer owns vaccine manufacturing plants in Michigan and Belgium.

 

The plants in Michigan are to supply vaccines in the U.S., and the supplies for other countries including Europe would be manufactured in Belgium.

 

Similar to the novel influenza breakout in 2009, Pfizer Pharmaceutical Korea would import the supply manufactured in Belgium.

 

Back then, the government signed a deal with Roche for the sales handling storage to distribution.

 

As Pfizer is not funded by either COVAX Facility or CEPI, the company holds no responsibility to supply to any country without a contract.

 

Currently, the Korean government is working on the settling the contract.