• Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia visited the headquarters of SK bioscience.
• SK bioscience has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Serbian government and Frontier Biopharma to support the vaccine manufacturing environment in Serbia using its vaccine R&D, manufacturing and commercialization capabilities.

Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia, Nemanja Grbic, Ambassador of Serbia to South Korea, Kiren L. Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Biopharma Ltd, Jae-Woong Lee, Ambassador of Korea to Serbia, Chang won Chey, Vice President of SK discovery, and Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience, attended the signing ceremony of the MoU.

This is the first visit by a Serbian prime minister to South Korea in 13 years, dating back to 2010. In addition, this is the current Prime Minister's only visit to a biopharmaceutical and vaccine company in South Korea during her stay.

In parallel with the MoU, SK bioscience and Frontier Biopharma agreed to sign a contract within the year to collaborate on setting up vaccine manufacturing facilities in Serbia, with the support of the Serbian government.

According to the MoU, SK bioscience will use its own R&D, manufacturing and commercialization capabilities to strengthen the vaccine manufacturing environment to a globally certified level, transfer technologies and know-how for pandemic preparedness, commercialize products, train human resources and support vaccine R&D in Serbia. The new platform will supply Serbia and other European and emerging markets from a hub in Serbia.

The Serbian government will provide administrative support to the project and cooperate in the possible supply of medicines to Serbia. Frontier Biopharma will be in charge of the overall operation of the project.

The demand for vaccine localization in Serbia, where most medical devices and medicines are currently imported from Europe and the United States, is growing strongly.

According to the report "Status of Korea-Serbia Cooperation Areas" recently published by the Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), Serbia actively seeks international collaborations and invests in the biopharmaceutical and medical industry.

Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia, said: "This MoU with SK bioscience and Frontier Biopharma is further proof of Serbia's commitment to investment in BIO4 biomedicine, biotechnology, bioinformatics and biodiversity, as well as Serbia's attractiveness to the world's best biopharmaceutical companies. Serbia will be happy and proud to welcome SK bioscience as a hub for the region and Europe. »

Kiren L. Naidoo, CEO of Frontier Biopharma, added: "As the parent company of Zdravlje AD, one of Serbia's most reputable pharmaceutical manufacturers, we are delighted to partner with the Serbian government and SK bioscience on this major project. SK bioscience has a world-class vaccine development and manufacturing platform that provides access to innovative, next-generation vaccines that prevent and treat life-threatening diseases. In the coming year, we will work closely with our partners to establish a production hub that will provide Serbia and international markets with the highest quality products. »

Chang won Chey, Vice President of SK discovery, said: "The demand for vaccine self-sufficiency has increased globally due to the pandemic. This collaboration is a testament to SK Bioscience's ability to contribute to global health. In addition to strengthening the Serbian vaccine industry, we will continue to promote public health around the world. »