SK bioscience to test flu shot with immune booster for older adults in phase 1/2 trial

SK bioscience has asked Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for clearance to begin human testing of a flu vaccine designed to trigger stronger immune responses in older adults. 

The company is positioning the candidate, called NBP607B, as the start of a broader platform for developing next-generation vaccines.

The shot builds on SK bioscience's existing cell-based flu vaccine, SKYCellflu, and adds an immune-boosting compound known as an adjuvant.

The adjuvant, developed by the Swiss nonprofit Vaccine Formulation Institute, is meant to help older or immunocompromised people produce more robust levels of protective antibodies.

The company said Thursday that this marks the first time a Korean firm has proposed a clinical trial for a high-immunogenicity flu vaccine using an adjuvant. 

The phase 1/2 study is expected to begin later this year during the Northern Hemisphere flu season. It will enroll about 320 older adults in Korea and overseas and compare the shot to an already approved high-potency flu vaccine. Interim results are expected by 2027.

SK bioscience began preclinical research on the vaccine in 2023 and said it has already gathered positive results in early laboratory testing. The company previously used adjuvant technology in its Covid-19 vaccine, SKYCovione, and now aims to apply the approach to seasonal flu and other infectious diseases.

“With SKYCellflu already proven in the market, we are confident that our experience with adjuvanted vaccines will lead to strong results,” SK bioscience CEO Ahn Jae-yong said in a statement. “Our goal is not only to carve out a niche in the high-immunogenicity space but to expand this into a platform applicable across other infectious diseases.”