GC Biopharma Submits IND Application for Phase 1 Clinical Trial of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine in Korea

YONGIN, South Korea, Sept. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GC Biopharma (006280.KS), a leading South Korean pharmaceutical company, announced today that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in South Korea for a Phase 1 clinical trial of "GC4006A," its mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccine candidate for COVID-19.

The development of GC4006A has progressed rapidly since April 2025, when the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) selected GC Biopharma to lead the agency's "the mRNA Vaccine Development Support Project for Pandemic Preparedness". With the KDCA's goal of localizing mRNA vaccine production by 2028, GC Biopharma is committing its full resources and expertise to the project, the company stated.

In the Phase 1 clinical trial, GC Biopharma plans to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of its vaccine candidate, GC4006A, in healthy adult volunteers. If the Investigational New Drug (IND) application is approved by the end of 2025 as expected, the company will initiate the first administrations in early 2026.

In a previously conducted non-clinical study, GC4006A demonstrated a robust humoral immune response, generating antibody levels comparable to those of existing vaccines. The vaccine also elicited a strong cellular immune response, effectively targeting infected cells.

GC4006A is the key product of the mRNA-LNP(Lipid Nanoparticle) platform that the company has developed through its mRNA-LNP research since 2019. This platform enables the company to manage the entire mRNA vaccine development process end-to-end. The upcoming Phase 1 clinical trial will serve as a testing ground to demonstrate the platform's capabilities, paving the way for a rapid response to future pandemics within 100 days of an outbreak.

"GC Biopharma is the first company in Korea to establish a full in-house capacity of mRNA drug development from start to finish", said Jae Uk Jeong, Head of R&D at GC Biopharma. "The development of our COVID-19 mRNA vaccine marks just the beginning. We are committed to expanding the platform's applications to a wide range of diseases."

In fact, GC Biopharma plans to expand the applications of its mRNA-LNP platform to various therapeutic pipelines, including rare genetic diseases, chronic inflammatory diseases, anticancer immunotherapies, and vaccines. The company is also exploring co-development and technology transfer opportunities with global pharmaceutical partners using this mRNA-LNP platform.

About GC Biopharma

GC Biopharma (formerly known as Green Cross Corporation) is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Yong-in, South Korea. The company has over half a century of experience in the development and manufacturing of plasma derivatives and vaccines, and is expanding its global presence with successful US market entry of Alyglo^® (intravenous immunoglobulin G) in 2024. In line with its mission to meet the demands of future healthcare, GC Biopharma continues to drive innovation by leveraging its core R&D capabilities in engineering of proteins, mRNAs, and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) drug delivery platform to develop therapeutics for the field of rare disease as well as I&I (Immunology & Inflammation). To learn more about the company, visit https://www.gcbiopharma.com/eng/

This press release may contain biopharmaceuticals in forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of GC Biopharma's management. Such statements do not represent any guarantee by GC Biopharma or its management of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. GC Biopharma undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule.

GC Biopharma Contacts (Media)

Sohee Kim
[email protected]

Yelin Jun
[email protected]

Yoonjae Na
[email protected]

SOURCE GC Biopharma