Globally Merck and the Jenner Institute developed a production platform that enables the mass production of a future vaccine. The joint team has reduced the development time of the production process from one year to two months.
“We have brought the future of vaccine production to the present,” said Merck’s executive board.
Merck, one of the world’s leading scientific and technological companies, has donated 2.4 million dinars to the Serbian health system, thus supporting the Government of Serbia’s efforts to address one of the biggest challenges faced today. The donation is realized in cooperation with UNICEF, it is intended for the procurement of medical and protective equipment for healthcare professionals, and today it was delivered in Serbia.
“We wanted to respond to what is currently most needed by the health care system in our country. Thanks to partners from UNICEF, we have directed assistance to the procurement of medical and protective equipment, currently essential for healthcare professionals, which is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Health. We want to thank all health care professionals for their commitment to protecting the health of the population,” said Ina Bulat, Merck’s CEO in Serbia.
“UNICEF is fully supportive of national efforts to protect the population, primarily through the procurement of critically needed equipment for the health system. The number of companies and individuals who have responded to our call indicates that there is a strong awareness in Serbia that community is a force that can help us. I want to thank all the companies that donated to UNICEF to help us get rid of the coronary virus together and save lives in Serbia,” said Regina De Dominicis, Director of UNICEF in Serbia.
Merck is globally part of key initiatives to end the pandemic.
Merck and the Jenner Institute have announced that the foundation for mass production of Covid-19 ChAdOk1 nCoV-19 vaccine candidates has been laid. Over the last two years, Merck’s collaboration with the Jenner Institute has led to the development of a rapid platform that follows good manufacturing practices. The joint team reduced the production process development time from one year, as it would normally take, to just two months, thanks to a recently developed production platform.
Founded in November 2005 with the aim of developing innovative vaccines in partnership with Oxford University and the Pirbright Institute, the Jenner Institute has succeeded in developing Merck’s manufacturing process based on a previously generated platform, a key step in making the vaccine available as quickly as possible patients.
Also, on 26 March, Merck and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, within a consortium of companies, announced an important collaboration to accelerate the development, production and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics and treatment for COVID-19.
In 2019, Merck was awarded the “Insight into the Future” prize of $1million for research into pandemic preparation, by Pardis Sabeti scientists at Harvard University and Broad and James Crow Institute at Vanderbilt University. With their teams, today, thanks to the Merck Award, they are working to identify the diagnosis and treatment for COVID-19.