CSL Seqirus partners with Samjin...seeks NIP in Korea

Will the partnership bring synergy?

Samjin Pharmaceutical will target subjects for vaccination through its chronic disease and pediatric networks

Competition expected in the non-reimbursed market for influenza vaccines for seniors aged 65 and older

Companies expect the partnership will help build a track record for the vaccine to enter the NIP market as an influenza vaccine for seniors

CSL Seqirus Korea and Samjin Pharmaceutical have signed a strategic sales partnership agreement for the domestic distribution of influenza vaccines, sparking attention over whether the two companies can achieve synergistic effects.

 

Samjin Pharmaceutical and CSL Seqirus Korea sign strategic sales partnership agreement

On the 18th, the two companies announced that they had signed a strategic sales partnership agreement for the domestic distribution of the adjuvanted influenza vaccine ‘Fluad Quad Prefilled Syringe’ and the cell-cultured influenza vaccine ‘Flucelvax Quad Prefilled Syringe.” Samjin Pharmaceutical will be responsible for marketing and promoting Fluad Quad and Flucelvax Quad, while domestic distribution will be jointly conducted with CSL Seqirus Korea, which also handles vaccine imports.

 

Through the agreement, Samjin Pharmaceutical and CSL Seqirus aim to achieve synergistic effects in entering the vaccine distribution business and expanding its position in the domestic market.

 

Through the agreement, Samjin Pharmaceutical is focusing on expanding its portfolio from chronic diseases to the vaccine sector.

 

At the signing ceremony, Sang-Jin Kim, President of Samjin Pharmaceutical, said, “Through this collaboration, Samjin Pharmaceutical will be able to expand its business beyond the treatment-oriented business to the prevention-oriented vaccine field.” Currently, Samjin Pharmaceutical owns a lineup of specialty drugs for chronic diseases and pediatric drugs, such as Trestan, and expects the agreement to bring synergy to its existing sales capabilities.

 

A Samjin Pharmaceutical representative said, “For a long time, the company has been striving to provide effective treatments for patients with chronic diseases, who are at high risk for influenza.

 

With our product portfolio focused on chronic disease treatments, we aim to make Fluad Quad, an immune-boosting influenza vaccine, available to the same chronic disease patients we have been focusing on.” Ahead of the flu vaccine season, Samjin Pharmaceutical plans to strengthen education and communication on its vaccine through specialized channels, such as conferences, symposiums, and online webinars for medical professionals.

 

In addition, the company will launch advertisements and campaigns targeting the general public to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination and CSL Seqirus Korea's premium vaccines.

 

A company official emphasized, “We plan to carry out various evidence-based marketing programs to ensure that children's hospitals, pediatricians, and ENT specialists are well aware of the unique features of Flucelvax Quad, a vaccine that can be administered to a wide range of patients from children to the elderly.”

CSL Seqirus is targeting the market for influenza vaccines for seniors aged 65 and older

In addition, the companies made the strategic decision to target the elderly influenza vaccine market through the partnership.

 

Korea has a National Immunization Program (NIP) in place that provides free influenza vaccines to seniors aged 65 and older, but most of the vaccines currently used in the NIP are quadrivalent vaccines.

 

For this influenza vaccination season, trivalent vaccines are scheduled to be used as part of the NIP.

 

Adjuvant vaccines and high-dose vaccines, which are considered to provide higher protection for the elderly, are not yet included in the NIP.

 

In the case of overseas, the US CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends high-dose adjuvanted vaccines for people aged 65 and older, and there is a trend in developed countries to administer vaccines with improved efficacy compared to standard vaccines for the elderly.

 

In Korea, the need for vaccines tailored to the elderly is emerging due to the aging population and increased risk of influenza, and the pharmaceutical industry is closely eyeing the possibility of including such premium vaccines in the NIP in the future.

 

CSL Seqirus’ decision to partner with Samjin Pharmaceutical is interpreted as a strategic move to secure business synergy with an eye on entering the NIP in the long term.

 

Although it had previously sought to expand into Korea’s domestic market through partnerships with Ilsung Pharmaceuticals and other companies, the company is seeking greater synergy this time through collaboration with Samjin Pharmaceutical, which has solid sales capabilities and a doctors’ network in primary care facilities such as hospitals and clinics.

 

This is because in the long term, increasing the vaccination rate of immune-enhancing vaccines among the elderly and accumulating supporting evidence can ultimately strengthen the case for government adoption.

 

(From left) Photos of CSL Seqirus

From CSL Seqirus’ perspective, last year, Sanofi launched a high-dose quadrivalent vaccine, creating a two-way competition between adjuvanted and high-dose vaccines in the domestic influenza vaccine market for the elderly, making it impossible to ignore the partner company’s domestic sales capabilities.

 

While overseas real-world studies have shown that adjuvanted vaccines reduce influenza-related medical utilization more effectively than high-dose vaccines in high-risk elderly populations, their higher prices compared to standard vaccines remain a hurdle to their domestic access, necessitating further accumulation of long-term efficacy data.

 

For Samjin Pharmaceutical, the partnership aligns with its strategic interests, as entering the vaccine business could serve as an opportunity to diversify its portfolio and create new revenue streams.

 

GeeSeung Yoo, Country Head of CSL Seqirus Korea, stated, “We are very excited to partner with Samjin Pharmaceutical, a company with outstanding sales and marketing capabilities.

 

Through this agreement, CSL Seqirus Korea expects to be able to provide its differentiated influenza vaccines, Fluad and Flucelvax, to a broader population.”