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Trailing the first vaccines, next generation turns to coronavirus variants

Imperial is changing the strategy after Merck & Co said Monday it's abandoning development of two experimental Covid vaccines due to lackluster test results

Sinopharm vaccine
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People wait in queue to receive the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine in Belgrade, as Serbia begins mass vaccination against coronavirus on Tuesday Photo: Reuters

James Paton | Bloomberg
The rapid rollout of vaccines from front-runners including Pfizer Inc. is forcing those trailing behind to shift their focus to fighting potentially more dangerous versions of the coronavirus and find other ways to deploy their technologies.
 
Imperial College London is unlikely to go ahead with a late-stage trial in the UK to test its experimental Covid-19 shot, now that three vaccines have been approved in the country, according to Robin Shattock, the professor leading the research. Instead, his team will aim to provide a boost to first-generation shots, protect people against new variants and combat future threats, he said.