Ann: Phase II study for eftilagimod alpha in COVID-19 advances, page-24

It is not good news for fighting covid but, otherwise it is good news for IMM.

Firstly Merck discontinued the vaccine venture because the immune response was inferior and that has led Merck to pursue a treatment option instead of vaccine, putting more weight on this option vs vaccine ... IMM's covid is a treatment option.

Secondly Merck droped their vaccine to follow up use of its drug: MK-7110. Mechanism of MK-7110 is linked to CD24 receptor expression on T cell. CD24 and CD8 are related (CD24 provides homeostatic - meaning stable conditions - for proliferation of CD8.

Now, IMM's Efti was chosen for the EAT Covid trial for its interaction (binding) with MHC class II (please see my previous posts on the basic biology) which leads to CD8 T cell activation.

CD8, has a role I helping with cytotoxic T cell antigen interaction and has been implicated in many aspects of autoimmune inflammation, which apparently has something to do with COVID.

See the connection?

In other words, IMM's Efti activates CD8, and MK-7110 helps CD8 proliferate.

Please, the above is my simple underestanding and may well be wrong.

P.S. also as the race becomes tighter, those options/companies that survive will be bigger winners ...