Varicella Vaccine Produced Without Antibiotics Gains WHO-Prequalification

GC Biopharma announced today that the World Health Organization (WHO) granted prequalification for BARYCELA, a varicella vaccine.

BARYCELA is a live attenuated varicella virus vaccine containing MAV/06 strain, a virus exclusively attenuated by GC Biopharma.

While containing a higher amount of virus, this new vaccine, compared to its previous product (Suduvax), shows higher product stability.

BARYCELA has also proved non-inferior in immunogenicity with an equivalent level of safety to Merck's Varivax®, an existing prequalified vaccine in the market.

In addition, BARYCELA is being produced in a state-of-the-art aseptic condition from cell culture and virus infection to purification to make it the world's single-only varicella vaccine produced without antibiotics.

WHO prequalification decision has made BARYCELA eligible for procurement by the United Nations agencies for national immunization programs. 

With the WHO's prequalification decision, MAV/06 strain has moved closer to being registered in the WHO Technical Report Series and the previously listed OKA strain.

According to the U.S. CDC, Varicella, known as chickenpox, is an acute infectious disease.

It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which is a DNA virus that is a member of the herpesvirus group. Primary infection with VZV causes varicella.

After the primary infection, VZV stays in the body as a latent infection.

Reactivating latent infection causes herpes zoster (shingles), and approved vaccines are available.

"We hope BARYCELA will continue our contribution to reducing the world's social and economic cost incurred by varicella outbreaks," said EC Huh, Ph. D., President of GC Biopharma, in a press release on February 19, 2023.

Developed in 1993, GC Biopharma's Suduvax was Korea's first and the world's second varicella vaccine.

Over 28 million doses of the vaccine have been sold worldwide.

GC Biopharma's strategy is to utilize the global supply network for Suduvax to distribute BARYCELA.