Merck Reports Three Major Initiatives Focusing on Developing Vaccine Against COVID-19

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• Merck will acquire all outstanding shares of Themis in exchange for an undisclosed cash payment. The acquisition follows the ongoing collaboration between the two companies to develop vaccine candidates utilizing the measles virus vector platform and is expected to accelerate the development of Themis’ COVID-19 vaccine candidate with the anticipated initiation of clinical study in later 2020
• Secondly, Merck collaborated with IAVI to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. The collaboration leverages complementary expertise and capabilities with rVSV technology to advance the novel vaccine candidate. Moreover, Merck collaborated with BARDA to provide initial funding support for this effort
• Additionally, Merck collaborated with Ridgeback to develop EIDD-2801 against COVID-19. Ridgeback Bio will receive up front, milestones and a share of the net proceeds of EIDD-2801 and related molecules, if approved, while Merck to get exclusive global rights and will be responsible for clinical development, regulatory filings and manufacturing

Themis, IAVI, Ridgeback ­to­ read full press release/ article | Ref: Merck | Image: Yahoo Finance