Korea unveils world’s first genetically engineered anthrax vaccine

A trash-filled balloon launched by North Korea lands in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, June 9, 2024. South Korea's approval of its first anthrax vaccine comes amid rising security concerns following Pyongyang's dispatch of thousands of similar balloons across the border last year. Yonhap

South Korea approved the world’s first genetically engineered anthrax vaccine, which significantly reduces toxin-related side effects compared to earlier versions.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Tuesday that BARYTHRAX, a recombinant protein anthrax vaccine developed in collaboration with biopharmaceutical company GC Pharma, has been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

"While traditional vaccines made from anthrax bacteria contained toxic components that could cause adverse effects, the new vaccine uses genetic recombination to express only specific antigens, significantly reducing the risk of toxin-related reactions," Chung Yoon-seok, an agency official involved in its development, told The Korea Times.

He added that, due to anthrax’s high fatality rate in humans, the vaccine underwent a Phase 3 clinical trial using rabbits. After vaccination and exposure to the bacterium, the animals exhibited a high survival rate, demonstrating the vaccine’s strong protective efficacy.

The agency said the domestically developed vaccine is expected to cut import costs and ensure a stable supply during emergencies, including potential germ warfare attacks, by replacing previously imported versions. Until now, South Korea had relied entirely on foreign-made anthrax vaccines.

The approval will likely enhance South Korea's preparedness against potential germ warfare threats from North Korea, which is widely believed to operate a state-run offensive biological weapons program.

To offset its relatively weak conventional military capabilities compared to Seoul and Washington, Pyongyang has focused on developing asymmetric weapons, including biological agents such as anthrax.

Concerns about North Korea’s potential use of biological weapons intensified last year after the regime sent around 5,500 trash-filled balloons into South Korea on 22 separate occasions between May and September. While most balloons contained household waste, experts warned that similar methods could be used to deliver anthrax or other biological agents.

"Given that the Korean Peninsula remains technically at war, the threat of a similar attack is ever-present, making affordable and reliable access to the anthrax vaccine critically important," said Kim You-mi, an official in charge of crisis management at the agency.

Anthrax is one of eight infectious diseases designated by the South Korean government as potential bioterrorism agents, alongside smallpox, the plague and other high-risk pathogens.

Anthrax is classified into cutaneous, gastrointestinal and inhalation types based on the route of infection. If left untreated, the fatality rates are approximately 20 percent for cutaneous anthrax, 25 to 60 percent for gastrointestinal anthrax and up to 97 percent for inhalation anthrax.

Due to its high fatality rates, anthrax has long been considered a potential biological weapon. In 2001, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, anthrax spores were sent through the U.S. mail system in a bioterrorism incident that infected 22 people with inhalation anthrax and resulted in five deaths.