Global biopharmaceutical companies focus on Asia as the hub of their clinical trials to develop mRNA vaccines, and Korea has been chosen by none.
BioNTech, which developed the Covid-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, said Monday that it would set up a clinical trial hub in Taiwan. The German company plans to speed up developing of mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid)-based immunotherapies in the Asia-Pacific region through its Taiwanese hub.
BioNTech plans to conduct an initial clinical test of BNT113, which draws attention as a possible treatment of head and neck cancer at its Taiwanese hub, as the first such case in a series of BioNTech’s immunotherapies.
The German biopharmaceutical company explained that the plan reflects its strategy to facilitate developing and manufacturing innovative mRNA-based immunotherapies, enhance access to these treatments, and focus on the treatments for cancer types with particularly high prevalence in the Asia-Pacific region.
BioNTech is simultaneously building manufacturing facilities for clinical trials and those that turn out products for market launch. The company acquired GMP (good manufacturing practice) facilities in Singapore last month. The company plans to support the research and development of product candidates and their market launch throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Earlier, Moderna announced that it would set up hubs to produce vaccines and build its manufacturing plant in Japan as the Asian headquarters.
Moderna plans to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines using mRNA vaccine production facilities in Japan.
In September, Japan approved Moderna’s Spikebox Bivalent, which adapts to Omicron subvariant BA.1. The Japanese government also plans to construct an mRNA vaccine production facility in Japan.
They will use the facility as the Asian foothold but supply 40 million shots to Japan in advance, thinking quick development is possible because Japan can supply its material.
MSD, another multinational giant focusing on developing mRNA vaccines, also decided to build facilities to manufacture new biological medicines and vaccines in Singapore in 2020.
In October, the company invested $500 million in the new production facilities for the last five years to manufacture Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and complete the second packaging facility of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil 9. In addition, MSD broke ground to build an inhaler manufacturing facility to operate it from 2026.
The company said it would strive to grow Singapore into a biopharmaceutical hub representing the Asia-Pacific region and will continue to invest positively into establishing facilities and recruiting talents to attain such goals.