S.Korea's Genexine signs COVID-19 vaccine candidate manufacturing deal with Hanmi

Genexine

18/05/2021 04:48

SEOUL, May 18 (Reuters) - Genexine Inc  095700.KQ  has
signed a manufacturing deal for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate
with Hanmi Pharm Co Ltd  128940.KS  as it prepares to seek
emergency use approval of the shot in South Korea and Indonesia,
Genexine said on Tuesday.
    Hanmi will begin producing 10 million doses of Genexine's
experimental COVID-19 vaccine in its biotech plant in
Pyeongtaek, with an aim to gradually ramp up production capacity
to millions of doses by 2022, Genexine said in a statement.
    Hanmi said in a separate statement that the contract was
worth 24.5 billion won ($22 million) and will be followed by
additional supply deals. 
    Genexine is running a Phase 2a clinical trial of the
experimental vaccine in South Korea on 150 healthy participants
and plans global trials starting in Indonesia, the company said.
    The company's GX-19N COVID-19 vaccine candidate is a DNA
based vaccine and showed no severe side effects.
    In April, the vaccine developer signed a deal to supply 10
million doses of its vaccine to private Indonesian
pharmaceutical firm Kalbe Farma  KLBF.JK . 
    Shares in Genexine were up 15% and Hanmi Pharm  128940.KS 
was up 5.3% as of 0250 GMT, outperforming a 1.1% rise in the
wider market  .KS11 .
 ($1 = 1,131.6400 won)

 (Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
 ((Sangmi.Cha@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5646; Reuters
Messaging: sangmi.cha.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))