Merck Enters COVID-19 Development Race With Vaccine, Antiviral Partnerships

Merck announced two COVID-19 vaccine development efforts on Tuesday, as well as a partnership to develop a novel antiviral.

The New Jersey-based drugmaker said it will acquire Vienna, Austria-based Themis BioSciences and accelerate development of that company’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Themis joined a consortium with the Institut Pasteur and the University of Pittsburgh to develop a vaccine, which is expected to enter clinical studies later this year. It received $4.9 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) for the effort in March.

In addition, Merck has partnered with the nonprofit research organization IAVI (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to develop a COVID-19 vaccine using the same technology as the company’s Ebola Zaire virus vaccine, Ervebo.

IAVI and Merck will work jointly on development and clinical evaluation of the vaccine, and Merck will lead global regulatory filings. Clinical trials for the vaccine are expected to begin later this year.

The partners received up to $38 million from HHS’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop the vaccine.

In a separate initiative, Merck is collaborating with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to develop a novel antiviral, EIDD-2801, as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Merck will gain exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the antiviral worldwide. It will also be responsible for clinical development, regulatory filings and manufacturing.

If the antiviral is approved, Ridgeback will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and a share of the net proceeds. — Jordan Williams