Merck: Hits record high after FDA approval for Ebola vaccine

Lumos Pharma

20/12/2019 17:26

** Drugmaker's shares  MRK.N  rise as much as 2.8% to record
high of $92.55 after U.S. FDA approves MRK's Ebola vaccine,
Ervebo
    ** The approval makes Ervebo the first FDA-approved vaccine
for the prevention of Ebola virus disease (EVD)     
    ** The Ebola virus causes haemorrhagic fever and spreads
from person to person through direct contact with body fluids
    ** Ervebo's FDA-approval comes after the vaccine was
approved by the European Commission in November  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N27R3K6 
    ** "While the risk of Ebola virus disease in the U.S.
remains low, the U.S. government remains deeply committed to
fighting devastating Ebola outbreaks in Africa," the FDA said in
a statement (http://bit.ly/2s6DUUG)
 
    ** The Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently
experiencing the world's second-largest EVD outbreak, with more
than 2200 lives lost since the outbreak was declared on Aug. 1,
2018, according to the World Health Organization (http://bit.ly/2MecJyb)
  
    ** MRK said it is targeting Q3 of 2020 to make licensed
doses of the vaccine available and has also made submissions to
African regulators  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nBwbQXMdda   
    ** Shares of MRK's partner in developing the vaccine,
NewLink Genetics Corp  NLNK.O , were also up, hitting more than
a year high of $2.37

 (Reporting by Anuron Kumar Mitra in Bengaluru)
 ((AnuronKumar.Mitra@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223
8780, outside U.S. +91 99863 58469;))