South Korean biotechnology company Cha Biotech has received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for its plan to conduct a phase 1 clinical trial of a hepatitis B third-generation vaccine, the firm said Thursday.
Following the green light, Cha Vaccine Institute, the firm’s vaccine development subsidiary, will begin administrating the vaccine candidate to adults between the ages of 19-65, aiming to complete the study by October 2023.

The hepatitis B vaccine candidate is developed along with the institute’s therapeutic vaccine CVI-HBV-002. The institute is still conducting phase 2b safety and efficacy trial of the therapeutic vaccine candidate, formulated with self-developed adjuvant L-pampo.

The institute has prepared a separate clinical trial to see if the vaccine could help build protection against the infectious disease, in addition to its therapeutic effect, officials said.

“Cha Vaccine Institute will continue its research and development to step up as a biotechnology firm that could develop novel vaccines and chemotherapy drugs,” Cha Vaccine Institute CEO Yum Jung-sun said.

Meanwhile, Cha Vaccine Institute is preparing to go public by the end of this year. The institute filed a preliminary review application for an initial public offering to Korea Exchange in April.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)