Merck to partner with Jenner Institute to speed up vaccine availability

Science and technology company, Merck, has partnered with Oxford University’s Jenner Institute to develop cost-effective vaccine manufacturing processes, aimed at speeding up vaccine availability.

“The collaboration with the Jenner Institute will facilitate access to affordable vaccines while improving the global response to disease outbreaks,” said Udit Batra, member of the Merckexecutive board and CEO, Life Science. “Merck is committed to expanding access to advanced drug therapies, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Together with our partners we have shaped how vaccine production is done today and are helping to solve the toughest problems of tomorrow.”

Through this collaboration, the partners will look to improve the manufacturing process for adenovirus vaccines — those that are based on adenovirus as a carrier — using Merck products, systems and technologies on a real-world feed stream.

“Merck is an excellent partner for enhancing our capabilities in adenovirus vaccine development, as the newly developed process should match or exceed our existing process in terms of productivity and purity,” added Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University.

The resultant process should be a closed one that can be practiced in a cleanroom to minimise contamination, in line with the high biological safety requirements for viral vectors.

“Such improvements should help advance the development of clinical-grade, injectable drug product for use in clinical trials and other research applications,” Hill continued.

Additionally, Merck is developing plans for a vaccine manufacturing facility in Ghana, helping to address significant health challenges in Africa — a continent that imports 99% of its vaccines. A recently signed memorandum of understanding between Merck and Ridge Management Solutions provides the opportunity for Ghana to become the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to have a dedicated human vaccine manufacturing factory.

“We want to support emerging economies by sharing our expertise, helping them streamline their manufacturing processes while supporting technology transfer and local facility start-up,” Batra revealed.