SK Bioscience to license vaccine technology to Colombia

SK Bioscience will license its vaccine technology to Colombia’s state-owned pharmaceutical firm VECOL and cooperate in establishing a local manufacturing site, as part of the Latin American country’s national vaccine localization initiative, the Korean drug developer said Tuesday. SK Bioscience signed an agreement detailing the partnership with VECOL, which is jointly leading the state initiative with Colombia’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the National Health Institute. Under the initiative, Colombia will invest $260 million over the next 10 years to strengthen national vaccine self-sufficiency and public health preparedness. VECOL is the lead entity responsible for overall project execution, while SK Bioscience will participate by licensing its vaccine and providing the technology and expertise required for manufacturing facility development and other operational know-how. As the initial product for the partnership, SK Bioscience will license out SKYVaricella, its proprietary varicella vaccine. The company said it plans to establish a local manufacturing system w