Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna were the first to win emergency use authorization from FDA for COVID-19 vaccines. Johnson & Johnson recently got its own permission to distribute its vaccine. But other Big Pharma companies have struggled to get vaccines to the finish line, including some of the world’s largest vaccine makers such as GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and…
Biden announces partnership for Merck to make J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine
President Joe Biden today announced a partnership in which Merck (NYSE:MRK) will make Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE:JNJ) recently approved COVID-19 vaccine. Before Biden’s announcement,The Washington Post reported that the two competitors’ agreement will boost the supply of the single-dose vaccine from J&J’s Janssen subsidiary, which received FDA emergency use authorization last week. According to the report,…
Merck KGaA to supply lipids to boost Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine production
Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) announced that it’s expanding its partnership with BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) to supply lipids for the Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The agreement will accelerate the supply of lipids and increase the amount of lipid delivery toward the end of 2021 so they can be used as part of the drug delivery system of mRNA therapies…
Merck dips on missed Q4 projections, announces CEO change
Merck (NYSE:MRK) shares took a slight hit today on fourth-quarter results that came up shy of the consensus forecast. Additionally, the company announced that chairman & CEO Kenneth C. Frazier will retire, effective June 30, 2021, and he will continue to serve on Merck’s board of directors as executive chairman for a transition period to be…
How Merck uses advanced analytics to improve manufacturing
Transitioning from traditional batch to continuous manufacturing provides greater throughput, but it requires near real-time data analysis to proactively address potential problems. Continuous manufacturing (CM) is gaining popularity in the pharmaceutical industry because it represents an improved approach for small molecule drug product development compared to traditional batch manufacturing methods. CM allows for the production…
Could Vaxxas’ tiny patches enable a better COVID-19 vaccine?
Tiny vaccine delivery patches could solve logistical challenges, but they face manufacturing hurdles. Here’s how Vaxxas is trying to overcome them. Merck (NYSE:MRK) and Vaxxas announced earlier this year that the pharmaceutical giant was using Vaxxas’ High Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP) platform as a delivery platform for a vaccine candidate. Vaxxas did not disclose what…
Merck eyes tiny patches as a vaccine delivery method
Merck has exercised its option to use Vaxxas‘ High Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP) platform as a delivery platform for a vaccine candidate, the companies announced today. The companies did not disclose what the vaccine candidate is supposed to treat. But Merck this month announced two COVID-19 vaccine development efforts: a collaboration with IAVI and plans…