SK bioscience announced that it has begun shipping its self-developed influenza vaccine, SKYCellflu, to Southern Hemisphere markets, including regions in Southeast Asia and Latin America. The shipments from its L HOUSE vaccine manufacturing facility will amount to 750,000 doses in the first half of the year.
This marks SK bioscience’s second round of exports for flu vaccines in the Southern Hemisphere following their initial export to Thailand last year. Although Thailand is in the Northern Hemisphere geographically, it adheres to WHO’s vaccination guidelines for both hemispheres due to its geographic span.
The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts circulating flu strains and recommends vaccines twice yearly—once for each hemisphere. Expanding exports to the Southern Hemisphere enables SK bioscience to maintain year-round vaccine production, thereby enhancing supply stability and cost efficiency globally.
SKYCellflu is notably the world’s first cell culture-based flu vaccine to achieve WHO Prequalification (PQ) certification. This advanced technology presents significant advantages over traditional egg-based production, such as a reduced risk of viral mutations during production, leading to better virus strain matches. Moreover, cell culture technology allows for a shorter production timeline, facilitating quicker responses to outbreaks or pandemics.
According to Grand View Research, the global influenza vaccine market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 8.5% by 2030, expanding from 7 billion USD in 2023. SK bioscience has expanded its contracts with various countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, where seasonal influenza-related hospitalizations are rising.
In addition to SKYCellflu, SK bioscience is actively increasing exports of its other proprietary vaccines. The company is expanding the supply of its varicella vaccine, SKYVaricella, to Latin America and Southeast Asia. It is also pursuing entry into Asian markets with its shingles vaccine, SKYZoster. To combat high typhoid incidence rates in Africa and South Asia, SK bioscience is introducing its typhoid conjugate vaccine, SKYTyphoid, in these regions. SKYTyphoid, which gained WHO PQ certification last year, offers strong immunogenicity and long-term protection with a single dose.
Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience, said, “Our independently developed vaccines have already proven their competitiveness in the global market by acquiring WHO PQ certification. With these vaccines, we will continue expanding our global presence, contributing to Korea’s biotech industry growth, and improving global public health.”
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