• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Subscribe
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • RSS
  • RSMUS.com

The Real Economy Blog

Search

  • Economics
  • Technology
  • Consumer
  • Industrials
  • Finance
  • Real Estate
  • Health Care
  • Life Sciences
Home > Coronavirus > Trump administration identifies 5 companies for government support in vaccine effort

Trump administration identifies 5 companies for government support in vaccine effort

Jun. 4, 2020 by Adam Lohr

  • email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Drug developers, academic institutions and government agencies across the globe are investigating more than 100 potential vaccines for the coronavirus. The Trump administration on Wednesday identified a handful of organizations that it believes are the most likely to produce a viable vaccine candidate, The New York Times reported. This is the latest step in the administration’s Operation Warp Speed project, which aims to have substantial quantities of a safe and effective vaccine available for Americans by January 2021.

The listed companies in that group include Moderna (MRNA), AstraZeneca (AZN), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Merck (MRK) and Pfizer (PEF), as well as the University of Oxford. Selection as finalists in the project provides the organizations with access to additional government funding to accelerate the development of their vaccines. Prior to the announcement, the federal government had already provided $2.2 billion to Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

A compressed timeline

Funding support aside, the complexity of bringing a safe and effective vaccine to market is staggering and has historically been measured in years, not months. To date, the fastest a vaccine has ever been brought to market is in four to five years, and that was the mumps vaccine in 1967, according to National Geographic. Now, with advanced sequencing techniques and unprecedented computing and financial resources, entities the world over are collaborating to compress that timeline into 12 to 18 months.

On Bill Gates’ blog, he offers a visual timeline (a screenshot of which is below) of just how short of a time frame organizations are striving for when it comes to developing a coronavirus vaccine.

Source: GatesNotes.com

With the number of candidates out there, the question is not about if or when a vaccine will come to fruition, but rather how effective the vaccine will be, how long it will provide protection for the patient, how it will be manufactured in sufficient quantities and how it will be distributed equitably and affordably.

The fact that the most pressing questions are related to logistics and distribution as opposed to scientific feasibility is a testament to the advances that have been made in the life science ecosystem. However, we still do not have a reliable treatment, vaccine, or adequate testing, and America is well on its way to opening back up. Until those problems are addressed, we all must do our part to utilize personal protective equipment, maintain social distancing and interact in a way that supports the health and safety of our communities.

  • email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Related posts

  • Cyberthreats for middle market companies are increasing--RSM MMBI Survey

    Unauthorized users will attempt to access proprietary data at more than half of the middle market businesses polled by the proprietary RSM US Middle Market Business Index survey in the first quarter—up significantly from 47 percent in 2018—illustrating…

  • Lessons for software companies from the Great Recession

    Software companies operating in the latter part of the business cycle must consider the implications of a potential recession on their business. It’s worth noting that during the Great Recession, some software companies endured and even thrived. A…

  • Consumer companies stand to gain from opportunity zones

    Opportunity zones—those specially created districts that offer tax breaks to investors—provide some attractive benefits to consumer businesses. The combination of tax deferral and potential tax avoidance on certain capital gains can be very attractive to any entity that…

Filed Under: Coronavirus, Health Care, Life Sciences Tagged With: coronavirus, Covid-19, health care, life sciences, vaccine

About Adam Lohr

Adam is an audit partner and life sciences senior analyst in RSM's cutting-edge industry eminence program. In addition to providing assurance services to his clients, he sits on RSM’s national life science team and leads the San Diego office life science practice.

His senior analyst responsibilities include advising the firm’s life sciences care clients and client servers as they work to navigate the rapidly changing industry environment. Adam regularly writes, presents and advises on capital markets, digital transformation, policy and other issues transforming life sciences. He is an instructor at the regional and national level, and is experienced in the application of ASC 606 revenue recognition for the technology and consumer products industries.

Adam has over 12 years of accounting and finance experience, serving private equity-backed and private closely held companies in the middle market. He specializes in providing financial audit services and helping clients respond to technical, regulatory and economic changes that impact their business.

Primary Sidebar

Other Regions

  • Canada
  • United Kingdom

Categories

  • Economics
  • Technology
  • Consumer Products
  • Industrials
  • Financial Services
  • Real Estate
  • Health Care
  • Life Sciences

Recent Health Care articles

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of April 12

Apr. 16, 2021

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of April 5

Apr. 8, 2021

CHART OF THE DAY: Broadband expansion is the bridge to better health

Apr. 7, 2021

Recent Life Science articles

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of April 12

Apr. 16, 2021

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of April 5

Apr. 8, 2021

5 things to know in life sciences: Week of March 29

Apr. 1, 2021

RSMUS.com links

The Real Economy

Middle Market Business Index

MMBI Special Reports

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS

About The Real Economy Blog

The Real Economy Blog from RSM US LLP was developed to provide timely economic insights about the middle market economy. It is offered as a complement to RSM’s macroeconomic thought leadership, including The Real Economy monthly publication and the proprietary RSM US Middle Market Business Index (MMBI).

© 2021 RSMUS.com | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

The Real Economy Blog
  • Economics
  • Technology
  • Consumer
  • Industrials
  • Finance
  • Real Estate
  • Health Care
  • Life Sciences