GC Pharma has entered into a strategic partnership with French biotech firm Osivax to develop and commercialize a next-generation influenza vaccine designed to offer broader protection against rapidly mutating viral strains.
Announced on the 28th, the collaboration centers on creating a single-shot combination vaccine that pairs GC Pharma’s seasonal flu shot, GC Flu, with Osivax’s clinical-stage influenza A candidate, OVX836.
Dual-Action Targeting: Surface Antibodies and T-Cell Immunity
Conventional seasonal flu vaccines, including GC Flu, target hemagglutinin (HA) on the outer surface of the influenza virus to prompt B cells to produce neutralizing antibodies. However, surface antigens mutate frequently, causing vaccine effectiveness to drop when circulating strains diverge from seasonal formulations.
OVX836 takes a different approach by targeting the virus’s internal nucleoprotein (NP), which undergoes far fewer mutations than surface proteins. Rather than relying solely on surface antibodies, OVX836 stimulates a cellular T-cell immune response to identify and eliminate infected cells. By uniting both mechanisms into a single formulation, the companies aim to bolster defenses against both seasonal strains and emerging viral variants.
OVX836 is currently in Phase 2b clinical trials involving 2,850 healthy adults to evaluate its preventive efficacy and safety against influenza A. To date, the candidate has been administered to more than 4,000 individuals across seven clinical trials. An earlier Phase 2a study demonstrated that co-administering OVX836 with a seasonal flu shot produced no immune interference. The new partnership advances this concept by co-formulating the two vaccines into a single injection.
Global Rights and Commercialization Framework
Under the agreement, GC Pharma secures exclusive rights to commercialize the combination vaccine in South Korea. Osivax retains rights for regions outside South Korea and Japan. Upon commercialization overseas, GC Pharma will supply GC Flu long-term and receive royalties. Specific financial terms, including upfront payments, were not disclosed.
GC Flu currently holds World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification (PQ), confirming its quality, safety, and suitability for international procurement.
"We are pleased to partner with Osivax to advance a candidate that addresses significant unmet needs in seasonal influenza prevention," said Hur Eun-chul, CEO of GC Pharma. "We hope this collaboration will strengthen our market position in South Korea while expanding our footprint in major advanced markets."
Alexandre Le Vert, CEO and co-founder of Osivax, added, "Demand remains strong for approaches that can deliver broader and longer-lasting preventive effects against continuously mutating influenza viruses. We will push forward with developing next-generation vaccines by combining Osivax’s T-cell-centered technology with GC Pharma’s expertise in vaccine development and manufacturing."
