SK Bioscience and Vaxxas partner to develop needle-free typhoid vaccine patch

South Korean biotech company SK Bioscience and Vaxxas have partnered to develop a typhoid conjugate vaccine that can be delivered by a needle-free patch.

The companies plan to reformulate SK’s SKYTyphoid vaccine for subcutaneous delivery using Vaxxas’s HD-MAP patch technology.

In the press release, SK’s CEO Jaeyong Ahn said: “[The] utilisation of typhoid vaccines has been limited due to the requirement for vaccines that remain stable under varying temperatures and those that can be administered without medical supervision. This collaboration with Vaxxas provides an opportunity to overcome those challenges.”

The research collaboration has also received A$5.4m ($3.67m) in funding from Wellcome, a UK-based global charity. The agreement is contingent on providing vaccine access to low and middle-income countries.

Additionally, Wellcome, also known as the Wellcome Trust, is also entitled to a share of the revenue from the vaccine sales.

Typhoid fever is an infectious disease caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria, commonly spread by drinking contaminated water. As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately nine million people contract typhoid fever each year, mostly in developing countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South-East Asia.

SKYTyphoid is a polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine that targets diphtheria toxin protein and induces an immune response. The vaccine was developed in partnership with United Nations non-profit International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and was first approved in South Korea in May 2022.

The initial funding for SKYTyphoid was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. SK has applied for WHO Prequalification for the vaccine, which should be granted by the end of the year.

SK had a previous partnership with Wellcome and IVI to develop an infectious disease vaccine for diarrhoeal disease caused by nontyphoidal Salmonella infection.

SK has a number of vaccines currently on the market for various diseases, including influenza, shingles, varicella, and Covid-19.

The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Thailand to transfer the company’s influenza vaccine (both trivalent and quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccines) manufacturing process to the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) to bolster Thailand’s vaccine infrastructure.