Prognosis
Next ‘Warp Speed’ Vaccine Matches Merck Experimental Product
- U.S. government has announced deals for six other inoculations
- Merck’s experimental vaccine is given orally for easier use
Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg
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The U.S. government’s description of a final coronavirus vaccine it plans to add to its multi-billion dollar “Operation Warp Speed” program closely matches the details of experimental inoculations being developed by Merck & Co.
During a presentation Wednesday, Moncef Slaoui, Warp Speed’s chief adviser, described a “TBD,” or to-be-determined, vaccine that has not yet been announced. It would be a “live attenuated” vaccine -- which uses weakened viruses that replicate in the body but don’t cause disease, and would be administered in a single dose, potentially in oral form rather than an injection, Slaoui said.