Shots generated an ‘inferior’ immune system response in comparison with natural infection
Vaccine manufacturer Merck has abandoned development of two coronavirus vaccines, saying that after extensive research it was concluded that the shots offered less protection than just contracting the virus itself and developing antibodies.
The company announced that the shots V590 and V591 were ‘well tolerated’ by test patients, however they generated an ‘inferior’ immune system response in comparison with natural infection.
The company stated that instead it will focus on research into therapeutic drugs labeled as MK-7110 and MK-4482.
The drugs aim to protect patients from the damage of an overactive immune response to the virus.
“Interim results from a Phase 3 study showed a greater than 50 percent reduction in the risk of death or respiratory failure in patients hospitalized with moderate to severe COVID-19,” the company’s statement noted of the MK-7110 drug.
Merck is to receive around $356 million from the US government to fast-track production of the potential treatments under Operation Warp Speed.
Chief Marketing Officer Michael Nally recently told Bloomberg that Merck is aiming to produce some 20 million courses of the MK-4482 drug, an oral antiviral which patients will take twice a day for five days.
Meanwhile, in related news, German scientists have claimed that the UK Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is less than 8% effective in over 65s, prompting the vaccine developers to hit back, rubbishing the claims.
The German media published the claims, alleging it had been ‘confirmed’ by ‘multiple’ unnamed senior German government sources.
UK government ministers have suggested that the claim could be related to the ongoing dispute over delivery of the vaccine between the European Union and AstraZeneca.
The EU, which is yet to approve the vaccine, has threatened to block exports of shots to Britain, in a move that has been branded ‘spiteful’ by British government sources.
In an effort to make sure its member states get their ‘fair share’ of vaccines, the EU has also threatened to block the delivery of Pfizer vaccines to the UK, demanding that drug companies provide detailed information on when they plan to export Covid jabs to countries outside the bloc.
Merck Scraps Covid-19 Vaccine Candidates
The two shots generated comparatively weak immune responses in early-stage studies.
Merck MRK -2.97% & Co. said Monday that it is halting development of its two experimental Covid-19 vaccines, after early clinical-trial data showed the shots generated disappointing immune responses against the virus.
Early-stage studies of the vaccines indicated they produced inferior immune responses in subjects given the shots compared with people who survived Covid-19 or took authorized Covid-19 vaccines, the company said.
The exit removes a major vaccine player from the constellation of companies seeking shots to curb the spread of the virus, as the few that have been able to bring shots to market struggle to meet heavy demand.
Kenilworth, N.J.-based Merck, one of the world’s leading vaccine makers, said it would now focus on advancing two experimental Covid-19 drugs.
Merck said it expects test results for the pair of drugs in the coming weeks, and the company could ask regulators to authorize use if the results are positive.
“We’re quickly informing society so that obviously we can refocus on therapeutics, but also so that some of the knowledge is shared with the broader community,” Nick Kartsonis, who oversees Merck’s vaccine clinical research, said in an interview.
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Dr. Kartsonis said it was unclear why the shots weren’t very effective, though they were safe. Merck didn’t provide the study results, saying it would submit the findings for publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Due to the discontinuation, the company said it would record an unspecified tax charge in the fourth quarter of 2020. Merck’s decision Monday underscores the difficulty in developing a vaccine, which normally takes years to bring to market. Development of a Covid-19 vaccine by Sanofi SA SNY -2.50% and GlaxoSmithKline GSK -1.68% PLC was set back last year after a laboratory mistake, delaying a potential authorization by several months. Some 60 Covid-19 vaccines are in human testing, according to the World Health Organization, but regulators have only authorized a handful for general use, leaving limited supplies. Many scientists and public-health experts placed high hopes on Merck, which pioneered vaccines that have become staples around the world, including the first to prevent mumps, chickenpox, rubella and shingles. Yet Merck was slower than rivals to pursue Covid-19 vaccines. Chief Executive Ken Frazier and then-R&D chief Roger Perlmutter expressed concern about the years vaccine research usually takes, and that it would divert resources from thriving areas, such as cancer drugs, The Wall Street Journal reported in October. Merck executives have also said they wanted to use vaccine technologies that have worked against other viruses, and that could be fashioned into a single-dose regimen. The drugmaker discussed collaborating with the University of Oxford on its experimental vaccine, but university scientists and the U.K. government resisted a proposed deal, the Journal reported. Oxford ended up joining with AstraZeneca AZN -2.53% PLC.
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