Topline
U.S. pharma giant Merck is shuttering its Covid-19 vaccine program and will shift its focus to advancing two treatments for the disease after early results from clinical trials showed both vaccines it has in development were unable to generate adequate immune responses, a decision that may add to growing worries that there is not be enough vaccines to go around.
Merck has discontinued its Covid-19 vaccine program after disappointing trial data.
getty
Key Facts
Both Merck vaccines generated immune responses “inferior to those seen following natural infection”, as well as lower responses reported for with other Covid-19 vaccines on the market, Merck said in a statement Monday.
“We are grateful to our collaborators who worked with us on these vaccine candidates and to the volunteers in the trials,” said Dr. Dean Y. Li, president of Merck Research Laboratories, adding that the company is “resolute in our commitment to…