Vaccine Anxiety Vaccine Anxiety
While Merck’s vaccines weren’t expected to be part of the initial immunization push in the U.S., the development comes amid heightened anxiety over vaccine supplies and a sluggish pace of injections. The emergence of new variants of the coronavirus has also raised questions about whether the shots that have been cleared will lose effectiveness as the pathogen mutates.
The failure of Merck’s candidates will also leave it locked out of a market that could eventually be dominated by two of its historic U.S. rivals. Pfizer was the first drugmaker to gain authorization for a COVID vaccine in the U.S., followed closely by Moderna. Johnson & Johnson is expected to publish data in the coming weeks on its vaccine’s efficacy and apply for an emergency-use authorization.