France-based Osivax and South Korea-based GC Biopharma (KRX: 006280) have announced a long-term collaboration to develop a single-injection combination influenza vaccine, pairing Osivax's Phase II nucleoprotein-targeting candidate OVX836 with GC Biopharma's WHO-prequalified inactivated seasonal vaccine GC FLU.
Under the agreement, GC Biopharma grants Osivax a non-exclusive, sublicensable global license to use GC FLU in combination with OVX836, excluding Korea and Japan. Osivax will lead global development and commercialization outside Korea; GC Biopharma retains exclusive Korean rights, receives royalties, and commits to long-term GC FLU supply. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Unlike a conventional biotech out-license, the agreement gives Osivax rights to incorporate GC Biopharma's marketed vaccine into a combination product that Osivax will develop and commercialize outside Korea.
OVX836 is described by Osivax as targeting the nucleoprotein (NP), a conserved internal influenza A antigen, via the company's oligoDOM self-assembling nanoparticle platform, with the aim of eliciting broad T-cell responses across influenza A strains. GC FLU targets the variable hemagglutinin surface antigen, generating antibody responses. The companies assert the combination is designed to produce complementary immune coverage. Osivax published Phase IIa co-administration data in Vaccines in July 2025, reporting that OVX836 was well tolerated alongside a standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine and induced complementary immune responses — the direct scientific basis for the GC FLU combination approach.