Hwasun International Vaccine Forum Opens, Attracting KRW 22.7 Billion in Investment from Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Companies
Article Summary
Investment Agreements Signed with Six Companies Specializing in Vaccines, Anticancer Drugs, and More
Hwasun to Be Developed as a Global Vaccine Hub and Bio-Base
[Gwangju=Newsis] Reporter Gu Gil-yong = With the 2021 Hwasun International Vaccine Forum opening on the 4th, South Jeolla Province and Hwasun County
secured 22.7 billion won in investment from six pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.
South Jeolla Province and Hwasun County opened the two-day “2021 Hwasun International Vaccine Forum” at the Hanium Culture and Sports Center on the 4th.
The forum, themed “The Status of Korean Vaccines in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” featured both on-site and online presentations.
Director General Jerome Kim presented “From Pandemic to Endemic: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Outbreak for Global Vaccines.”
Further presentations were given by Han-i Kim, CEO of the Light Fund; Professor Jeong Jae-hoon of Gachon University; Professor Kang Chang-yool of Seoul National University; and Seong Baek-rin, Director of the Vaccine Commercialization Technology Development Center.
On the 5th, the International Society for Vaccines (ISV) International Conference will be held via video conference.
Ahead of the opening of the 2021 Hwasun International Vaccine Forum, Hwasun County, together with South Jeolla Province, signed investment agreements with six domestic companies.
The investment company Miracell Co., Ltd. (CEO Shin Hyeon-sun), The total investment is 22.7 billion won, including Brexogen Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Soo), Jinmatrix Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Soo-ok), Bioway Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Jong-woo), Coscience Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Seong-jun), and BC World Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (CEO Hong Seong-han).
These companies have decided to invest in the Hwasun Vaccine Industrial Complex, including the construction of production facilities, and to actively foster local talent and expand employment.
Bioway, a company specializing in anticancer drug development, will invest 10 billion won; Genematrix, a vaccine developer, will invest 4.5 billion won; Miracell and Brexogen, cell therapy and biopharmaceutical companies, will each invest 3 billion won; BC World Pharmaceutical, a pharmaceutical company, and Coscience, a bio-molecular diagnostics company, will each invest 1.2 billion won and 1 billion won, respectively.
Hwasun County has been hosting the Hwasun International Vaccine Forum since 2016, attracting investment from domestic and international pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
Furthermore, in March, the company signed a 30 billion won investment memorandum of understanding with Vaxcell Bio (Co-CEOs Lee Jun-haeng and Lee Je-joong).
In April, the company also signed a contract to sell a 13,352 square meter factory site in the Hwasun Vaccine Industrial Complex.
South Jeolla Province Governor Kim Young-rok emphasized, “We will establish a state-of-the-art medical complex and a large-scale production complex for world-class therapeutic vaccines to make South Jeolla Province a global biomedical hub.”
Hwasun County Mayor Koo Chung-gon stated, “For South Korea to leap forward as one of the world’s top five vaccine powerhouses, we must foster Hwasun, Korea’s only vaccine industry special zone, as a true global vaccine hub and bio hub. I will do my best to ensure that Hwasun, a mecca for vaccines and biotechnology, plays a significant role in realizing our goal of becoming one of the top five vaccine powerhouses.”
By Koo Gil-yong