President Joe Biden is reportedly set to announce a partnership in which Merck (NYSE:MRK) will make Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE:JNJ) recently approved COVID-19 vaccine. The Washington Post reported that the agreement between the two competitors will boost the supply of the single-dose vaccine from J&J’s Janssen subsidiary, which received FDA emergency use authorization last week. Get the full story at…
Merck gives up on COVID-19 vaccine candidates
Merck (NYSE:MRK) announced today that it is discontinuing the development of its two COVID-19 vaccine candidates, with the Kenilworth, N.J.-based pharma company focusing on two therapeutic candidates instead. Merck officials say they made the decision after Phase 1 clinical studies that showed the V590 and V591 vaccine candidates produced an immune response that was inferior to…
Pharma researcher charged with theft of trade secrets
A former director of medical and scientific affairs at Merck (NYSE:MRK) faces criminal charges in federal court in New Jersey for allegedly stealing and transmitting trade secrets. Shafat A. Quadri has been released on $100,000 unsecured bond. He was most recently employed at AstraZeneca (NSDQ:AZN). The single count of trade secret theft carries a maximum potential…
Antiviral drug stops COVID-19 transmission in ferrets
Molnupiravir, an experimental antiviral drug developed by Emory University, Merck (NYSE:MRK) and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, has promise in the battle against COVID-19 based on an animal trial published in Nature from Georgia State University researchers. Also known as MK-4482 or EIDD-2801, the oral drug Molnupiravir has an advantage over SARS-CoV-2 therapies such as remdesivir and reconvalescent serum that require infusion.…
Merck inks supply deal with U.S. for investigational COVID-19 therapy
Merck (NYSE:MRK) has agreed to supply the U.S. government with the biological therapeutic CD24Fc if FDA authorizes the use of the drug. The drug played a central role in Merck’s decision to acquire privately held OncoImmune, which had touted CD24Fc as its “lead compound.” Merck plans on renaming the CD24Fc therapy MK-7110. (We recently profiled the…
11 COVID-19 therapies you need to know
The pharmaceutical industry launched a herculean effort to battle the COVID-19 pandemic early in 2020, developing an array of vaccines and other therapeutics while also identifying existing drugs suitable for treating patients sick with severe coronavirus infections. FDA recently granted emergency authorization to two SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and several other treatments. Here are 11 of the…
Merck to buy OncoImmune and its potential COVID treatment for $425M
Merck (NYSE: MRK) recently announced that it will pay $425 million in cash to acquire privately-held biopharmaceutical company OncoImmune and its potential COVID-19 treatment. OncoImmune’s CD24Fc is a first-in-class recombinant fusion protein that targets the innate immune system. OncoImmune recently announced positive top-line findings from an interim efficacy analysis of a Phase 3 study evaluating…
Drug companies agree not to release COVID-19 vaccine until it’s ready
Executives from nine different drug companies today announced a pledge to ensure safety with a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The CEOs of AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN), BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX), GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Merck (NYSE:MRK), Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA), Novavax (NSDQ:NVAX), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), all of whom are developing vaccine candidates, all signed the pledge, which vows to “uphold the integrity of the scientific process” as…
The most innovative pharmaceutical agents of 2020
The Galien Foundation recently announced nominees for most innovative pharmaceutical agents for its 14th Annual Prix Galien USA Awards. The foundation bestows the Prix Galien Award annually to examples of outstanding biomedical, pharmaceutical drugs and medical technology products that are designed to improve the human condition. “As we celebrate 50 years of the Prix Galien…
Merck acquires Themis to speed COVID-19 vaccine development
Merck (NYSE:MRK) announced today that it completed the acquisition of vaccine and immune-modulation therapy developer Themis for an undisclosed amount. In connection with the acquisition, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, while Merck gained merger control from the Austrian Federal Competition Authority,…
Merck, IAVI work to develop COVID-19 vaccine
Merck (NYSE:MRK) and IAVI announced today that they are collaborating to develop an investigational vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 for preventing COVID-19. The vaccine candidate is slated to use the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) technology used as the basis for Merck’s Ervebo Ebola Zaire virus vaccine, which was the first such vaccine to be approved for use…