So it seems not everyone wins in the vaccine race. Merck was developing two possible vaccine candidates and had to shitcan them after Phase I trial data came back and it seemed that the vaccine caused a weaker response in people than the virus itself did. While it sucks, its another great example of how science works. Not every candidate will win, and some will huge money losses.
In other news, the data from the Phase III trials of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine should be available in the next 1-2 weeks. The preliminary data looked good, and most importantly - they tested a single dose. While it's probably not as effective as the double shots of the vaccines we have now, the data still looks really good!
I mean... Moderna had never made a successful vaccine before their COVID one.