Merck & Co.
213 E Grand Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 33 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 320 Bent St, Cambridge, MA 02141 US
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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.
Offsetting Merck’s growth in the third quarter were disappointing revenues from its HPV vaccine Gardasil and type 2 diabetes pill Januvia, with the company on Thursday narrowing its 2024 sales and adjusted profit outlooks.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday backed the use of Merck’s Capvaxive and Pfizer’s Prevnar 20 in adults between 50-64 years of age, opening a bigger market for the respective companies.
Merck’s investigational antibody clesrovimab demonstrated more than 60% effectiveness in reducing some types of respiratory syncytial virus-associated infections in infants, while Pfizer’s RSV vaccine Abrysvo showed 90% effectiveness at preventing the most severe RSV cases in adults 60 years and older.
On the heels of Keytruda’s success in a Phase III perioperative trial for a disease where it had previously failed to improve event-free survival, Merck touts an I&I deal with UK biotech Mestag.
After several high-profile failures, including BMS’ $1.5B breakup with Agenus, anti-TIGIT therapies are generating cautious optimism.
The FDA’s Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee voted near-unanimously that the benefits of PD-1 inhibitors like Keytruda and Opdivo in PD-L1 low patients do not outweigh the risks.
Merck follows in the footsteps of Bristol Myers Squibb, which in December 2023 also failed to secure a late-stage victory for its combo regimen of a PD-1 blocker and an anti-LAG-3 antibody.
If approved, the potential restrictions would impact Merck’s Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo, which are marketed for the first-line treatment of several types of stomach cancer regardless of PD-L1 expression.
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