Merck's (MRK) Ebola Vaccine Gets Approval for Kids in Europe
Merck MRK announced that the European Commission has approved its vaccine for Ebola, called Ervebo, for children aged one year and older. Ervebo is now approved for active immunization of individuals one year of age or older to protect against Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) caused by Zaire ebolavirus in children as young as 12 months old. The EC approved Ervebo for adults in Europe in November 2019.
The approval for expanded use in children was expected as of July, the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) had given a positive opinion recommending approval of the Ebola vaccine for kids.
The FDA approved Ervebo for use in the United States in children aged 12 months and older last month and for adults in December 2019.
Merck’s stock has declined 2.8% this year against an increase of 5.9% for the industry.
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EVD is a severe and fatal illness caused by the Ebola virus. It can cause an outbreak which can result in a public health crisis, due to significant morbidity and mortality.
Merck has an agreement with UNICEF to establish a global Ebola vaccine stockpile with Ervebo to support preparedness and response efforts for Zaire ebolavirus outbreaks. Merck has already delivered 500,000 doses of the licensed vaccine to the stockpile.
Another company that has made an Ebola vaccine is J&J JNJ. The European Commission approved J&J’s two-dose vaccine regimen for preventing Ebola caused by the Zaire strain in 2020. The Ebola vaccine was developed using Janssen’s AdVac technology. J&J’s Ebola vaccine is not yet approved in the United States.
Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider
Merck has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Merck & Co., Inc. Price and Consensus
Merck & Co., Inc. price-consensus-chart | Merck & Co., Inc. Quote
Some better-ranked biotech companies are Dynavax Technologies Corp. DVAX and Corcept Therapeutics CORT, each carrying a Zacks Rank of2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
In the past 60 days, estimates for Dynavax Technologies’ 2023 loss per share have narrowed from 56 cents to 24 cents, while those for 2024 have improved from a loss of 24 cents to earnings of 2 cents. Shares of Dynavax Technologies have gained 29.4% YTD.
Earnings of Dynavax Technologies beat estimates in two of the last four quarters and missed the mark on two occasions. On average, the company witnessed an earnings surprise of 25.78% over the trailing four quarters.
In the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Corcept’s earnings has increased from 62 cents per share to 78 cents for 2023. The bottom-line estimate has also improved from 61 cents to 83 cents for 2024 during the same time frame. Shares of the company have rallied 63.2% year to date.
CORT’s earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and missed the mark in the other two, delivering an average surprise of 6.99%.
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Dynavax Technologies Corporation (DVAX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (CORT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
