Merck and IAVI Partner to Develop Potential COVID-19 Vaccine

May 27, 2020 - Merck and IAVI recently announced a joint partnership that will explore the development of an investigational vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 to prevent COVID-19.

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The vaccine candidate will use vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) technology, which is the basis for Merck’s Ebola Zaire virus vaccine, ERVEBO. This vaccine was the first rVSV approved for use in humans, Merck officials said in the release. 

Under the agreement, IAVI and Merck will work together to advance the development and global clinical evaluation of the vaccine candidate. Currently, the vaccine is in preclinical development and clinical studies are planned to begin in the second half of 2020.  

If approved, both companies will work together to develop the vaccine and make it globally accessible and affordable. 

“COVID-19 is an enormous scientific, medical, and global health challenge. Merck is collaborating with organizations around the globe to develop anti-infectives and vaccines that aim to alleviate suffering caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection,” Roger M. Perlmutter, MD, president of Merck Research Laboratories, said in a statement.  

“Merck and IAVI are eager to combine our respective strengths to accelerate development of an rVSV vaccine candidate, with the goal of blunting the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.

Merck will lead global regulatory filings, while the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of HHS, will provide funding for the effort. 

BARDA Acting Director Gary Disbrow, PhD, noted that the discovery of a safe and effective vaccine will help to prevent future outbreaks of COVID-19. 

“We are encouraged by the willingness of our private sector counterparts to come together as force multipliers to expedite vaccine development and to help save lives,” he said in a statement. 

The global clinical evaluation of the vaccine candidate is designed and engineered by IAVI scientists. This effort is part of the company’s previous efforts to develop rVSV vaccines for HIV, as well as other emerging infectious diseases. 

“We believe an rVSV-based vaccine strategy represents a promising approach to combating the novel coronavirus pandemic and look forward to implementing an accelerated development program, together with Merck, to evaluate the potential of our vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2,” said Mark Feinberg, MD, IAVI president and Merck CEO, in a statement. 

“The collaboration between Merck and IAVI represents an innovative partnership model and approach to utilize our joint capabilities in complementary and synergistic ways to address this difficult global health challenge,” he continued.

Merck also announced an additional collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to develop EIDD-2801, a COVID-19 antiviral candidate currently in clinical development for patients infected with the virus.  

“In addition to our efforts to develop potential vaccines to SARS-CoV-2, we have also been evaluating our own anti-viral assets and those from external sources for their potential to treat individuals with COVID-19,” said Perlmutter, in a release.

“Clinical evaluation of EIDD-2801 in COVID-19 patients is just beginning, now that phase 1 studies have demonstrated that the compound is well-tolerated,” he added. “Since preclinical studies demonstrate that EIDD-2801 has potent antiviral properties against multiple coronavirus strains including SARS-CoV-2, we are eager to advance the next phase of clinical studies as rapidly and responsibly as possible.”

Under terms of the agreement, Merck will gain exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize EIDD-2801 and related molecules, and Ridgeback will receive an undisclosed payment, specified milestones, and a share of the net proceeds of EIDD-2801 and related molecules. 

Additionally, Merck will be responsible for clinical development, regulatory filings, and manufacturing. 

“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic we have worked closely with our network of esteemed collaborators to advance EIDD-2801 into the clinic,” said Wendy Holman, chief executive officer at Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, in a statement.

“This agreement with Merck, a leader in infectious disease therapeutics, positions us to harness the full potential of EIDD-2801 and, if approved, deliver it to the patients that need it globally,” she concluded.