SK Bioscience signed a co-promotion and distribution agreement with the global pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the Korean company said on Wednesday. 

Under the contract, SK Bioscience will sell and distribute five types of vaccines developed by GSK, expanding its share in the local vaccine market. 

The five vaccines are Boostrix to prevent TDAP (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis), Menveo against meningococcal disease, Havrix 1440 against  Hepatitis A, Priorix against measles and mumps, and Cervarix against cervical cancer. 

As one of the frontrunners in the domestic vaccine companies, SK Bioscience will be responsible for selling the first four vaccines in the adult vaccine market and the last one in all-age markets, including those for infants and children, the company said in a news release.

GSK will concentrate its marketing power on these vaccines’ markets for infants and children, and expand its shares in the adult vaccine market through the joint promotion with SK Bioscience. 

The five vaccines' domestic market was estimated at 128 billion won ($117.6 million) last year and is expected to grow further as the Covid-19 pandemic alerted people to infectious diseases, it said. 

“Under the contract, we have secured a new growth engine creating a win-win situation for both companies based on strong sales network and GSK’s excellent products,” said Choi Ahn-joon, director of SK Bioscience’s marketing headquarters. “We will continue to empower our position as the key player of the domestic vaccine market.”