SK chemicals (CEO and vice chairman, Chang-Geun Kim) announced on July 31 that it would sell FirstHib, a Hib meningitis vaccine of pre-filled syringe type, for the first time in Korea.

FirstHib is a worldwide Hib meningitis vaccine developed by Novartis, being a medication type having succeed in commercialization for the first time through a production line for a vaccine of pre-filled syringe type of SK chemicals, which has been established based on WHO standards in Korea.

Hib(Haemophilus influenzae B, hereinafter referred to as ‘Hib’) is a germ transferred through respiratory organs, causing bacterial meningitis mainly fatal to children and being known as a cause of various diseases such as pneumonia, epiglottis inflammation, endocarditis, bacterial arthritis, septicemia, osteomyelitis, etc.

The bacterial meningitis happening especially for less than 5 year old children is mainly caused by Hib as a main cause auxotroph, being reported to reach a maximum of 5% death rate and to leave a serious nervous aftereffect to over 20% of patients even after complete cures. (Data: “Epidemiology and management of infectious disease against which preventive inoculation should be performed” by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

SK Chemical’s FirstHib is a Hib meningitis vaccine of pre-filled syringe type for the first time in Korea that is distributed with medication filled in a syringe, maintaining an accurate inoculation quantity and minimizing contamination by microorganisms, so as to be expected to enable accurate and sanitary inoculation.

Besides, with strengthened immunity through containment of immunity support agents, a measurement result of antibody identification measured after 3 times inoculation of vaccines of the same ingredients respectively showed that FirstHib have about 2 times more average antibody identification than general vaccines containing no immunity support agents. (Data: Pediatrics International, volume 45, 2003)

Besides, SK Chemical’s FirstHib has an advantage to be convenient and shorten injection time almost without injection preparation processes, differently from existing liquefied or lyophilize vial medication type.

Domestic Hib vaccine markets is forming a scale of about 24 billion won as of last year, and SK Chemical’s FirstHib is aiming at sales of more than 10 billion won next year.

In-Seok Lee, marketing headquarters manager of life science part at SK chemicals, said, “I expect that sanitary and safe vaccine inoculation of international level may be realized to our children by introducing Hib vaccines of personal pre-filled syringe type for the first time in Korea.”

Currently, FirstHib is being used in 20 or more nations over the world, being used to prevent invasive* diseases due to Hib for worldwide children by being supplied for immunity expansion projects by UNICEF and UN’s affiliated institutions through receiving permission from WHO.

1. Interpretation of terminology
Invasiveness
An ability of microorganisms to invade into human body and spread into tissue, when microorganisms may cause infection or diseases