Quratis for Prohibition Vaccines Raises 20 Billion for 'GMP Implementation'
Clinical progress of adult tuberculosis vaccine, confirmed 3 billion won with project fund


Social Impact Bio Venture Quratis will raise 20 billion won for facility investment. Quratis plans to receive technology transfer for adult tuberculosis vaccines and carry out multi-state clinical trials.

According to industry sources on the 26th, Quratis is planning to establish a quality control (GMP) facility at the Cheombok Complex in Osong, North Chungcheong Province. To that end, it will raise 20 billion won. The investment round involved AjouIB Investment, SJ Investment Partners, Cognitive Investment and Starset Investment. The investment is expected to be completed by November.

Of the total, 3 billion won has been confirmed as a project fund. In the execution of the investment, SJ Investment Partners formed a project fund, the "SJ Social Impact Bio Venture Fund." The lenders included SJ Investment Partners, Shinhan Capital, and Hana Financial Investment. SJ Investment Partners has decided to carry out follow-up investments since it invested 1 billion won in agricultural and livestock funds in the past.

"Quratis is a bio-venture with a high interest in solving social problems," said Ahn Young-min, head of SJ Investment Partners, who led the creation of the project fund. "In particular, tuberculosis, which occurs a lot in North Korea, will emerge as a bigger social problem if inter-Korean civilian exchanges expand."

Quratis is a company launched on the occasion of a joint study of tuberculosis by Yonsei Medical Center and IDRI, a non-profit organization for developing new drugs for incurable diseases worldwide. IDRI is Bill and Melinda. It is funded by the Gates Foundation and several other foundations around the world to study new drugs for major incurable diseases.

Quratis has been transferred from IDRI to 17 Asian countries (Korea, China, Taiwan, North Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia) of adult TB vaccines at the stage of wrapping up global clinical 2a. It is planning to hold a multi-nation Asian national award as well as domestic.

It was approved for clinical2a test approval in December 2017 in Korea and is currently undergoing clinical trials with Yonsei University Medical Center, Chung-Ang University Hospital and Ajou University Hospital. Quratis aims to succeed in the domestic clinical 2b test by 2022, apply for clinical trials of young adults in Korea during 2019-20 and proceed with clinical trials in Asian countries.

Tuberculosis vaccines for adults are considered to be essential as the prevalence is high in the Northeast Asian region. Korea ranks first among 34 OCED member countries in terms of tuberculosis incidence, prevalence, mortality and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients. Especially in North Korea, the incidence and death rates are five to six times higher than that of South Korea, and the index is said to be on a constant rise.

"In the case of BCG tuberculosis vaccines, which are currently being inoculated to infants, the effect will almost expire after about 10 years," Ahn said. "From adolescence, when external contact is frequent, it is an area where tuberculosis is exposed unprotected and needs to be developed."

In addition to the tuberculosis vaccine, Quratis is also studying the vaccine to solve social costs stemming from foot-and-mouth disease.