PRI: Coronavirus vaccine will need new models of public-private partnership, says research nonprofit CEO
“The world will need billions of doses of a vaccine to eradicate the novel coronavirus pandemic, and that means public and private sector partners will have to find new models of partnership to meet the challenge, Mark Feinberg, CEO of research nonprofit IAVI tells The World’s Marco Werman…” (5/26).

Reuters: Global fundraising for COVID-19 vaccine, drugs exceeds $10 billion, E.U. says
“A global campaign to fund the development of vaccines and therapies against COVID-19 has so far raised 9.5 billion euros ($10.4 billion), the head of the European Commission said on Tuesday…” (Guarascio, 5/26).

Wall Street Journal: Merck Does Deals to Develop Coronavirus Vaccines, Drug
“…For one vaccine, Merck said it is acquiring privately held Themis Bioscience, of Vienna. In March, Themis said it was collaborating with the French nonprofit Institut Pasteur and the University of Pittsburgh on Covid-19 vaccine development. Themis is working to scale up production for clinical trials that could begin within weeks, [Roger Perlmutter, Merck’s R&D chief,] said. Merck’s second coronavirus vaccine effort will take the form of a partnership with the scientific-research organization IAVI, whose experimental vaccine uses the same technology that is the basis for Merck’s Ebola Zaire virus vaccine, Dr. Perlmutter said. Merck said it would help IAVI, a New York-based nonprofit, further develop the vaccine, which could begin human testing later this year. In addition, Merck said it would license the rights to an experimental Covid-19 drug from privately held Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP of Miami…” (Hopkins, 5/26).

Additional coverage of the global effort to develop vaccines for the novel coronavirus, as well as accessibility to approved vaccines and treatments, is available from Bloomberg (2), CNBC, Devex (2), Financial Times, The Hill, Reuters (2), Science, and STAT.