Merck gains rights to NewLink Genetics investigational Ebola vaccine

US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) has entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement to research, develop, manufacture, and distribute US biotech firm NewLink Genetics' (Nasdaq: NLNK) investigational rVSV-EBOV (Ebola) vaccine candidate.

Although financial terms of the collaboration were not revealed, New Link’s shares initially gained 2.3% to $36.15, before flattening out. NewLink shares, meanwhile, have gained 60.5% in the year to date.

Just last month NewLink signed a deal with Genentech, a Roche (ROG: SIX) subsidiary, potentially worth more than $1.15 billion for the development of NLG919, NewLink's IDO pathway inhibitor (The Pharma Letter October 20). The parties also entered into a research collaboration for the discovery of next generation IDO/TDO compounds.