[Press Release] SK bioscience, a global innovative vaccine and biotech company committed to promoting human health from prevention to cure, announced today that the company and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) a hosted the ´Celebrating Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness: CEPI-SK bioscience Reception’ in Yeoui-do, Seoul on August 29th. The CEPI Board and senior officials visited Korea this week to discuss global collaboration to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Over 110 global health experts and leaders gathered at the event, organized to discuss a strategic partnership between CEPI and the Republic of Korea across in all sectors to prepare for and response to the next pandemic. The occasion was attended by the distinguished representatives such as Professor Jane Halton, Chair of the CEPI board, Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience, Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Hani Kim, Executive Director of RIGHT Foundation, and Emma Campbell, Executive Director of Medecins Sans Frontiers Korea.

The event was also attended by representatives from the Korean government and health authorities such as National Assembly member Honorable Yoon Kim; Youngmee Jee, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA); Eunyoung Jung, Director General, Health Policy Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare; Jonghan Park, Director General, Development Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The experts and leaders expressed increased concerns about the continuing COVID-19 cases and the rapid spread of a new virulent strain of the mpox. They also discussed how to improve global pandemic preparedness across all sectors of the ecosystem and pledged to continue working together.

Professor Jane Halton, Chair of the CEPI Board, said, “The task we collectively set ourselves of the 100 Days Mission and keeping our family, communities and countries safe from the next pandemic is a lighter task when we work in partnership and collaboratively. We hope bringing together a diverse set of stakeholders will enable our partners to make new connections and deepen existing ones to achieve a world safe from pandemic and epidemic threats.”

Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said, “CEPI is proud of its strong relationship with Korea. As we all know, having the partnerships and technology required to respond to emerging infectious diseases does not happen overnight. It is critical to develop long-term partnerships and we are proud to be building these here in Korea across the public and private sector over recent years.”

Honorable Yoon Kim, National Assembly member, said, “As the world faces new pandemic threats, it is the responsibility of governments, parliaments, and international partners to respond. The National Assembly´s Committee on Health and Welfare will actively work to ensure that Korean bio and vaccine research institutes and companies work closely with CEPI to develop innovative vaccines.”

Youngmee Jee, Commissioner of the KDCA, said, “With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CEPI in May, we are committed to rapid vaccine research and development in case of a pandemic. Through our global network with international organizations, we will actively participate in the global preparedness system for effective response to infectious disease prevention and pandemics, including COVID-19, and contribute to increasing access to vaccines.”

Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience, said, “To prepare for the next pandemic, all sectors, including governments, international organizations, academia, and industry, must work together as ONE TEAM toward a shared goal, the 100 Days Mission. As a leading Korean vaccine company, we are fully committed to preparing for and responding to global health threats.”

Ahead of the event, representatives from CEPI’s Investors Council, visited SK bioscience´s headquarters. This visit confirmed CEPI and SK bioscience´s commitment to global pandemic preparedness and demonstrated the solid collaboration the two have built.

SK bioscience first engaged with CEPI in June 2020, when it signed a Capacity Reservation Agreement for the contract manufacturing organization (CMO) of the COVID-19 vaccine. The company then established a full-fledged partnership with CEPI to develop Korea’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine, SKYCovione. SK bioscience and CEPI maintain a close partnership to prepare for the next pandemic by working on the development project of a broadly protective coronavirus vaccine as well as mRNA platform projects for Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and Lassa fever.

SK bioscience will continue to promote human health and play a pivotal role to global pandemic preparedness by strengthening cooperation with the governments, international organizations, and health authorities.