South Korea pursues domestically produced Nipah virus vaccine

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) are actively pursuing the development of a domestically produced Nipah virus vaccine in cooperation with domestic companies to proactively respond to Nipah virus infection, a high-risk zoonotic infectious disease.

Nipah virus infection is a high-risk infectious disease that can be transmitted from person to person, with bats being its natural host. Its fatality rate is reported to range from 40% to 75%. Currently, there are no commercially available vaccines or treatments, and the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) classify it as a priority disease.

Accordingly, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is actively pursuing the development of vaccines based on domestic technology for nine infectious diseases* selected as priority vaccine development targets in the “Mid- to Long-Term Plan for New Infectious Disease Pandemic Preparedness” established in 2023.

* COVID-19, influenza, SFTS, chikungunya, RSV, epidemic hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (Hantaan), Nipah, Lassa, dengue

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is systematically developing a Nipah virus vaccine by utilizing secured vaccine candidates and the technological capabilities of domestic companies, applying immune booster platforms, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), and artificial intelligence technologies.

This year, we are actively pursuing animal model efficacy evaluations and the establishment of GMP production processes for Nipah virus vaccine candidates. Our goal is to secure a domestically produced Nipah virus vaccine through safety evaluations (2027-2028) and phase 1 clinical trials (2029-2030).

Lee Yu-kyung, head of the Vaccine Research and Development Division, said, “We will further strengthen our domestic vaccine development capabilities by preemptively securing domestically-based vaccine candidates and manufacturing platforms.”

Lim Seung-kwan, director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said, “Nipah virus is currently occurring locally, but there is a potential risk that it could spread into a future pandemic,” and added, “We plan to continue to expand cooperation with domestic companies and others to continuously improve our preemptive response system for new infectious diseases.”