Maryland's COVID-19 Vaccine Approved in South Korea

Maryland-based Novavax, Inc. and SK bioscience, Co. Limited today announced that South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety had approved a Biologics License Application from SK bioscience for Nuvaxovid™.

Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine is also known as NVX-CoV2373, and Covovax™ is the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for commercial use in South Korea and will be manufactured and marketed in the country by SK bioscience.

SK bioscience has an agreement with the South Korean government to supply 40 million doses of Nuvaxovid.

Novavax previously announced conditional marketing authorization in the European Union and emergency use listing from the World Health Organization. 

"Novavax is proud to bring our COVID-19 vaccine to South Korea at a critical time in the pandemic as both the Delta and Omicron variants have taken hold," said Stanley C. Erck, President, and CEO, Novavax, in a press release issued on January 12, 2022.

Previously, on September 7, 2021, Takeda announced that the Government of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare would purchase 150 million doses of Novavax's vaccine candidate (TAK-019) manufactured in Japan by Takeda, subject to licensing and approval. 

NVX-CoV2373 was created using Novavax's recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen derived from the coronavirus spike protein and is formulated with Novavax's patented saponin-based Matrix-M™ adjuvant to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies.

NVX-CoV2373 contains purified protein antigen and can neither replicate nor cause COVID-19.

Novavax is a biotechnology company located in Gaithersburg, MD that promotes improved health globally through the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases.