There are indications that a vaccine to stop the spread of the Novel Coronavirus would only be available in another year.
This was stated by the chief executive officer of Merck, Ken Frazier, a global pharmaceutical giants heavily invested in Coronavirus vaccine research.
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In an interview with David Rubenstein, the founder of Carlyle Group, he said, based on the the FDA’s policy that a trial for any vaccine would only be allowed after six months of data analysis, a possible vaccine might only be available after another six months.
In the US alone, Coronavirus has killed over 130,000 people with the virus killing over 500,000 people world and an infection figure of more than 6 million people worldwide.
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In May, Merck announced two COVID-19 vaccine development efforts – a collaboration with IAVI and plans to acquire Themis Bioscience, a company focused on vaccines and immune-modulation therapies for infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
“We also announced a research collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to develop a novel oral antiviral candidate for the treatment of COVID-19. In addition to the collaborations with IAVI and Ridgeback Bio, and the acquisition of Themis, we are participating in a research collaboration with the Institute for Systems Biology to investigate and define the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 and identify targets for medicines and vaccines, as well as the NIH-led Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV consortium). ACTIV is a partnership that aims to develop a collaborative framework for prioritizing vaccine and drug candidates, streamlining clinical trials and regulatory processes, and/or leveraging assets among all partners to rapidly respond to the COVID-19 and future pandemics”
“We believe a range of medicines and vaccines will be needed to end the pandemic, and we will continue to pursue multiple pathways and collaborate with others,” the company said.
