Read more about Trailing the first vaccines, next generation turns to coronavirus variants on Business Standard. Imperial is changing the strategy after Merck & Co said Monday it’s abandoning development of two experimental Covid vaccines due to lackluster test results
The rapid rollout of vaccines from front-runners including Pfizer Inc. is forcing those trailing behind to shift their focus to fighting potentially more dangerous versions of the and find other ways to deploy their technologies. Imperial College London is unlikely to go ahead with a late-stage trial in the UK to test its experimental Covid-19 shot, now that three vaccines have been approved in the country, according to Robin Shattock, the professor leading the research. Instead, his team will aim to provide a boost to first-generation shots, protect people against new variants and combat future threats, he said. Imperial is changing the strategy after Merck & Co said Monday it’s abandoning development of two experimental Covid vaccines due to lackluster test results. Imperial has also been seen as a promising contender in the race, but is competing with big companies such as Pfizer, Moderna Inc. and University of Oxford partner AstraZeneca Plc that have access to significant funding and already crossed the finish line. “There’s a dilemma,” Shattock said. “People see our approach has very high value for the future, but not necessarily for today.
