Merck & Co.
213 E Grand Ave, South San Francisco, CA
33 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA
320 Bent St, Cambridge, MA
33 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA
320 Bent St, Cambridge, MA
NEWS
Regulators squeezed in two final approvals before the calendar change with the UK approval of Merck’s Winrevair and the FDA’s greenlight for an injectable formulation of BMS’s cancer blockbuster.
The Hansoh deal will let Merck compete in the crowded oral GLP-1 space alongside fellow pharma giants Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Roche.
Both vibostolimab and favezelimab have had disappointing runs leading up to their termination, sustaining several late-stage failures.
By far, the largest acquisition of 2024 was Novo Holdings’ yet-to-be-closed buyout of manufacturer Catalent at $16.5 billion. Outside of that, the leading pharmaceutical companies kept to less than $5 billion per deal.
Analysts called the data “very competitive” but raised questions about safety. Merck gained ownership of the ADC when it acquired VelosBio in November 2020 for $2.75 billion.
Emboldened by technological advances and a deeper knowledge of glioblastoma, Merck, Kazia Therapeutics, CorriXR Therapeutics and others are targeting the often-fatal brain tumor.
A Reuters report on Friday revealed that FDA researchers have found additional molecular evidence tying blockbuster asthma therapy montelukast to adverse neuropsychiatric effects.
Analysts are split on whether the positive trial results will help Merck stem future Keytruda losses as the mega-blockbuster goes off patent in 2028.
Despite recent enthusiasm around the PD-1/VEGF space, BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman noted that Merck’s pact with LaNova Medicines is more “conservativism” on the pharma’s part than confirmatory of recent data in the drug class.
JOBS
IN THE PRESS