SK Bioscience Co. is deepening its collaboration with Sanofi in a bid to capture a larger share of the $9.2 billion pneumococcal vaccine market, receiving 50 million euros ($54 million) upfront from the French drugmaker.
The South Korean biotech will split research costs with Sanofi to develop new pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) for children and adults, while Sanofi takes on commercialization expenses, the companies said. SK Bioscience retains exclusive rights to sell the vaccines in South Korea, with royalties from sales in other markets.
The expanded partnership builds on their existing work on GBP410, a 21-valent pneumococcal shot that just entered phase 3 trials. The study will evaluate the vaccine in over 7,700 subjects aged 6 weeks to 17 years. Earlier phase 2 results showed comparable effectiveness to Pfizer Inc.’s Prevnar 13.
The global pneumococcal vaccine market is expected to grow to 14.2 trillion won ($11 billion) by 2028, with pediatric shots accounting for about two-thirds of sales, according to Evaluate Pharma data.
The companies are expanding their manufacturing capacity, with SK Bioscience’s L House facility undergoing upgrades through joint investment with Sanofi to prepare for potential commercialization.
