CEPI Partners with Samsung Biologics to Strengthen Global Vaccine Manufacturing for Future Pandemics
Key Insights
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (search) (CEPI) has partnered with Samsung Biologics in a $20 million collaboration to enhance vaccine manufacturing preparedness for future epidemic and pandemic threats.
Samsung Biologics becomes CEPI's first East Asian manufacturing partner in the Vaccine Manufacturing Facility Network, joining organizations from Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Senegal.
The partnership will establish scalable manufacturing processes for recombinant-protein vaccines (search) and position Samsung to supply up to 50 million vaccine doses plus one billion doses of drug substance during future pandemics.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (search) (CEPI) has announced a strategic partnership with Samsung Biologics to strengthen global vaccine manufacturing preparedness for future epidemic and pandemic threats. The collaboration, supported by an initial budget of up to $20 million, marks Samsung Biologics as CEPI's first East Asian manufacturing partner in its Vaccine Manufacturing Facility Network (VMFN).
Expanding Global Manufacturing Network
Samsung Biologics joins CEPI's growing VMFN, which now includes manufacturing partners in Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Senegal. The addition of the South Korea-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) advances CEPI's mission of strengthening its manufacturing footprint to quickly address global vaccine needs, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
"We are delighted to welcome Samsung Biologics to CEPI's Vaccine Manufacturing Facility Network," said Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI. "Their recombinant protein production scale and technical capabilities add vital strength to our outbreak-response infrastructure."
Manufacturing Capacity and Capabilities
Under the partnership agreement, Samsung Biologics will provide CEPI with guaranteed access to up to 50 million vaccine doses in a future pandemic situation, along with an additional one billion doses of drug substance ready to be converted into finished vaccines. This arrangement reserves doses for vulnerable populations in underserved LMIC regions while enabling Korea's national needs to be met in line with CEPI's Equitable Access Policy.
The collaboration will leverage Samsung Biologics' well-established mammalian cell-based infrastructure, described as a flexible system that plays a key role in manufacturing protein-based products efficiently and at very large scale. The company operates with a combined biomanufacturing capacity of 785,000 liters across Bio Campus I and II, with an additional 60,000 liters planned from a manufacturing facility acquisition in Rockville, Maryland.
Supporting the 100 Days Mission
The partnership directly supports CEPI's ambitious 100 Days Mission, a global effort to develop vaccines within 100 days of identifying a novel pathogen with pandemic potential. CEPI and Samsung Biologics will work toward establishing a scalable manufacturing process for recombinant-protein vaccines (search), with the aim of pre-positioning a ready-to-activate process that can be deployed quickly when a new viral threat emerges.
"This agreement reflects our commitment to supporting a reliable and agile vaccine supply ecosystem through continued innovation and strong collaboration," said John Rim, President and CEO of Samsung Biologics. "It also contributes to Korea's ability to secure timely access to vaccines during urgent public-health situations."
Simulated Outbreak Response Exercise
As part of the agreement, Samsung Biologics will conduct a simulated outbreak response exercise using wild-type H5 influenza (search) as a prototype pathogen recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The exercise is designed to demonstrate the speed and robustness of Samsung Biologics' end-to-end capabilities, from antigen development through vaccine drug-product manufacture to supply.
This simulation will provide insights into how quickly recombinant-protein vaccines (search) can be manufactured at scale in an outbreak scenario and help lay the groundwork to prepare a generic regulatory submission dossier. The exercise seeks to demonstrate Samsung Biologics' ability to move rapidly from prototype sequence to production.
Future Collaboration Potential
The partnership may expand beyond the initial agreement, with additional projects potentially developed to support vaccine technology transfer, regulatory preparedness, and vaccine innovations as the collaboration with Samsung Biologics evolves. Samsung Biologics' advanced large-scale GMP manufacturing capabilities will ensure reliable access to vaccine production capacity, supporting effective responses for future epidemics and pandemics.
The VMFN aims to create a globally distributed manufacturing ecosystem capable of producing vaccines at speed and scale, ensuring that populations everywhere, particularly in LMIC regions, can access countermeasures when new health threats emerge.