South Korea-based biotech firm SK bioscience has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), a state pharmaceutical enterprise in Thailand, to strengthen Thailand’s vaccine infrastructure.

The purpose of the MoU is to strengthen the responding system against new pandemics and localise Thailand’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities which will extend to the broader Southeast Asia. 

Through the MoU, SK bioscience and the GPO will strengthen Thailand’s vaccine development and manufacturing capabilities and collaborate closely in the mid- to long-term to support Thailand becoming a vaccine hub in Southeast Asia.

The health authorities and related organizations of the South Korea and Thailand also agreed to support the cooperative system for health security. 

As a first step of the MOU, SK bioscience and the GPO also plan to sign the agreement which transfers drug product manufacturing technology of cell culture-based influenza vaccine developed by SK bioscience for local manufacturing at the plant owned by the GPO.

Once the technology transfer is completed, the GPO will receive drug substance of the influenza vaccine from SK bioscience and plan to obtain a marketing authorization from the regulatory health agency. Both organisations expect that the influenza vaccine manufactured by the GPO will be utilised for the Thailand's national immunisation programme.

In the long term, SK bioscience plans to transfer its manufacturing capability and expand supplying self-developed vaccines in other Southeast Asian countries. SK bioscience will collaborate with the GPO, the essential partner in supplying medicines in Thailand and further contribute to promoting public health in Southeast Asia.