Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- South Korea's health regulatory agency selected GX-188E, a therapeutic DNA vaccine candidate for the treatment of cervical cancer, which is being developed by Genexine in phase II clinical trial, as an item that will receive state support for quick commercialization.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said GX-188E has been selected for its "bio-challenger" program that supports the rapid release of bio-medicine with innovative concepts and technologies. Items selected for the program receive support during the entire development process.

Genexine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company involved in the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, promotes GX-188E as a human papillomavirus (HPV) therapeutic DNA vaccine. GX-188E is administered using a proprietary delivery system that electroporates the vaccine into cervical cells.

In interim results released in April, Genexine said GX-188E has improved the response rate of Keytruda (pembrolizumab), a humanized antibody used in cancer immunotherapy. Genexine evaluates the safety and efficacy of the combination therapy of GX-188E and Keytruda. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved pembrolizumab for any unresectable or metastatic solid tumor with certain genetic anomalies.