Bill Gates Provides Additional Support Funds to SK Bioscience for Development of COVID-19 Vaccine

An SK Bioscience researcher carries out an R&D activity for vaccine development.

SK Bioscience will once again receive support funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. The company has been selected by an international civil organization that is financially supported by the BMGF.

SK Bioscience announced on Dec. 9 that its second COVID-19 vaccine candidate “GBP510” has been selected as an item to be supported by Wave2, a COVID-19 vaccine development project funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), an international civil organization. This marked the first  candidate selection since CEPI launched Wave2 in November.

SK Bioscience will receive US$10 million in grants. In May, the BMGF provided US$3.6 million to SK Bioscience for the development of GBP510. Later, BMGF co-chairman Bill Gates said, “If SK Bioscience succeeds in developing a vaccine, it will be able to produce 200 million doses of vaccine annually starting in June 2021.”

SK Bioscience submitted an investigational new drug (IND) application to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the same day with the aim of beginning a  clinical trial for GBP510 within his year.