The government picked inno.N and Quratis to grant financial support for phase 1 Covid-19 vaccine trials through three contests this year. 

Genexine, which aims to enter a phase 3 study of a Covid-19 vaccine (GN-19N), applied for the program but failed to win support. 

Rep. Jeon Bong-min of the People Power Party released the results of the contests for the government’s support for clinical trials of Covid-19 local treatment/vaccine on Tuesday. 

According to Jeon’s data, in the three contests for clinical support this year, only inno.N and Quratis won the support. 

The first bidding occurred in January where one treatment developer and one vaccine developer applied for the program. The second contest opened in March when two treatment developers and one vaccine developer applied, but all of them were rejected.  

In the third contest in late May, six treatment developers and four vaccine developers applied, and two got picked. 

Gene One Life Science also applied for government support in the first and the third contest but failed to win the support. 

The government set aside 131.4 billion won ($114.3 million) to support clinical trials to develop the Covid-19 vaccine and treatment. 

Under the program, inno.N and Quratis will get a total of 5.9 billion won. 

Including 27.1 billion won set last year, the government has executed only 25 percent of the total or 33 billion won, Jeon said.

“The fourth wave of Covid-19 is adding pain to the Korean people, but the local development of a Covid-19 vaccine or treatment is going too slow,” he said. “The government should increase the execution rate of the subsidy budget more aggressively.”