Report: Merck to help J&J make COVID-19 vaccine

President Biden is expected to announce this afternoon that Merck will help make Johnson & Johnson’s newly authorized single-shot coronavirus vaccine in an effort to sharply increase the supply, according to a Washington Post report citing anonymous administration officials. 

According to the report, under the arrangement, Merck will dedicate two facilities in the United States to J&J's shots. One will provide “fill-finish” services, the last stage of the production process during which the vaccine substance is placed in vials and packaged for distribution. The other will make the vaccine, and has the potential to vastly increase supply, perhaps even doubling what Johnson & Johnson could make on its own, the officials said.

“It’s a historic partnership,” an anonymous official told the Post, adding that the companies “recognize this is a wartime effort.” 

To read the full report, click here.