Merck to Help Produce Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine; BARDA to Provide Merck With Funding to Expand Merck’s Manufac...
March 02 2021 - 4:30PM
Business Wire
Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and
Canada, announced today it has entered into multiple agreements to
support efforts to expand manufacturing capacity and supply of
SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 medicines and vaccines. The Biomedical Advanced
Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
(ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS), will provide Merck with funding of up to $268.8 million to
adapt and make available a number of existing manufacturing
facilities for the production of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccines and
medicines. Merck has also entered into agreements with Janssen
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies
of Johnson & Johnson, to support the manufacturing and supply
of Johnson & Johnson’s SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccine. Merck will
use its facilities in the United States to produce drug substance,
formulate and fill vials of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.
“We are steadfast in our commitment to contribute to the global
response to the pandemic as part of the remarkable efforts of the
entire medical and scientific community,” said Mike Nally,
executive vice president, Human Health at Merck. “This funding from
BARDA will allow us to accelerate our efforts to scale up our
manufacturing capacity to enable timely delivery of much needed
medicines and vaccines for the pandemic.”
Under the terms of the BARDA agreement, Merck will adapt and
make available some of the company’s existing manufacturing sites
to accelerate manufacturing efforts for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19
vaccines and medicines. This funding is in addition to Merck’s
continued investment in its global vaccines manufacturing network
as part of its planned capital investments of more than $20 billion
from 2020 through the end of 2024.
“At Merck, we have a rich legacy in vaccine manufacturing and
look forward to combining our expertise with Johnson & Johnson
to help increase supply and expand access to authorized
SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccines,” said Sanat Chattopadhyay, executive
vice president and president, Merck Manufacturing Division.
Merck continues to be actively involved in discussions with
governments, public health agencies, and other industry colleagues
to identify additional areas of pandemic response where Merck can
make a meaningful impact.
About Merck For 130 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of
the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing
forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most
challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve
lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population
health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching
policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be
at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that
threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases
such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire
to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in
the world. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect
with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc.,
Kenilworth, N.J., USA This news release of Merck & Co.,
Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor
provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and
expectations of the company’s management and are subject to
significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions
prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual
results may differ materially from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease
(COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and
health care legislation in the United States and internationally;
global trends toward health care cost containment; technological
advances, new products and patents attained by competitors;
challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining
regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict
future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays;
financial instability of international economies and sovereign
risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and
other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to
litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory
actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2020
Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s
Internet site (www.sec.gov).
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