Samsung Biologics said Wednesday it had entered a strategic partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to support the manufacturing of vaccines for future pandemics.
The agreement was signed Tuesday at the Conrad Seoul, with Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim and CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett in attendance.
The partnership is part of CEPI’s “100 Days Mission,” an initiative aimed at developing, producing and deploying effective vaccines within 100 days of the emergence of a pandemic threat. The program is backed by an initial budget of up to 29.4 billion won ($20 million).
Under the agreement, Samsung Biologics has been designated a preferred manufacturing partner for CEPI-supported vaccines. In the event of a pandemic, the company will mobilize its manufacturing infrastructure to supply vaccines globally. At CEPI’s request, Samsung Biologics said it was prepared to produce up to 50 million doses of finished vaccines, or drug substances sufficient for up to 1 billion doses.
To ensure readiness, the two organizations will conduct a joint simulation exercise based on a wild-type H5 influenza outbreak. The drill will evaluate the speed and stability of the full production process, from antigen development through final vaccine manufacturing.
The partnership also includes collaboration to strengthen chemistry, manufacturing and controls capabilities for recombinant protein vaccines, as well as efforts to expand reserve production capacity.
Founded in 2017 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, CEPI is a global coalition of public, private and philanthropic organizations working to accelerate vaccine development against emerging infectious diseases.
“Through this partnership with CEPI, we aim to build a system that can deliver vaccines rapidly and reliably during future pandemics,” Rim said. “We will continue to strengthen our pandemic response capabilities by leveraging our manufacturing scale and technical expertise.”
sunblessyou@heraldcorp.com
![[Exclusive] Ateez to return in November](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/09/02/news-p.v1.20260902.76162fb0ba55493aad1c076f240d0750_R.jpg?type=h&h=120)