The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency recently announced that it will support messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines in preparation for the next pandemic.

The government will support research and development from preclinical to Phase III trials, focusing on companies with the potential to localize mRNA vaccine platforms. Candidate companies include GC Biopharma, Samyang Holdings, and ST Pharm, which have a history of developing COVID-19 vaccines.

The rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in a short period of time has raised the need for domestic vaccine development. Securing vaccine sovereignty is being discussed again following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2