Genexine said it has entered the phase 2a clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate GX-19N under development and completed administering the drug to the first group of subjects on Feb. 26.

Genexine’s GX-19N is the first homegrown vaccine to enter phase 2 study among products being developed by Korean pharmaceutical companies, according to the company. 

GX-19N is a vaccine that contains an antigen targeting coronavirus nucleocapsid protein. It can also respond to the Covid-19 variant, Genexine said. 

The phase 2 trial of GX-19N targets 150 healthy adults, including 50 in the placebo group, at Severance Hospital, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Hanyang University Seoul Hospital, KyungHee University Hospital, and Ajou University Hospital.

Among the hospitals, Gangnam Severance Hospital received the first approval from the institutional review board and gave the vaccine candidate to the participant.

Genexine plans to conduct the study for about 10 weeks to draw an interim analysis and continue with a long-term follow-up study to evaluate the safety profile.

Genexine has also begun an additional phase 1 clinical trial for people aged between 55 and 85. The company plans to apply for emergency use approval after conducting clinical trials here and abroad based on the ongoing phase 2a study results.

In the process, the company has added an antigen with highly conserved amino acid sequences, raising the possibility of protecting against variants.

Besides, Genexine is conducting a phase 2 trial of its Covid-19 treatment,  GX-17, in Indonesia, and a phase 1 study in Korea and the U.S.