Commercialization of the country's first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine is likely to begin in the second half of the year.

Local biopharmaceutical company SK bioscience said on Thursday that it begins in earnest the procedures for the commercialization of its SKYCovione, a recombinant protein-based vaccine.

The vaccine will be used to inoculate those who have not previously received COVID-19 vaccines.

SKYCovione secured the approval of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for adults late June, with local quarantine authorities signing a pre-contract for ten million doses in March.

The vaccine was developed jointly with GlaxoSmithKline and the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington.

SK bioscience is now carrying out clinical trials of SKYCovione so the vaccine can be used for booster and mix-and-match shots. It also plans to conduct trials on adolescents and children.