Merck signs BARDA manufacturing agreement

Alongside yesterday's development, where it was announced that Merck & Co. will assist Johnson & Johnson in manufacturing J&J's Covid-19 vaccine, Merck also has entered into an agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Per the deal, BARDA will provide Merck with up to $268.8 million to adapt and make available a number of its existing manufacturing facilities for the production of SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 vaccines and medicines. This funding is in addition to Merck’s continued investment in its global vaccines manufacturing network as part of its planned capital investments of more than $20 billion from 2020 through the end of 2024.

It should also be noted that Merck will be using its US facilities to produce drug substance, formulate and fill vials of the aforementioned J&J vaccine.