Daiichi Sankyo and Terumo link up for vaccine development

Drug major Daiichi Sankyo (TYO: 4568) and fellow Japanese company Terumo Corp (TYO: 4543) have entered into an agreement to co-develop a new vaccine for the prevention of infectious diseases utilizing Terumo’s intradermal injection device.

The companies noted that, at one point, it was generally said “the Japanese vaccination system was below the global standard” since the introduction of some globally-available vaccines was seriously behind. Currently, the situation in Japan has rapidly improved and entered a new phase. The companies aim for innovation in vaccine through combining the respective expertise of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Though it has been typical in Japan to administer vaccines subcutaneously or intramuscularly, there is a report that the efficacy of some vaccines can be increased by administering intradermally into the dermal tissue, especially the dermis, where immune system cells are highly concentrated. However, existing intradermal administration with use of existing syringes or needles requires a high level of proficiency.