Sotatercept clearly vindicates the wisdom of spending over $11.5 billion to acquire Acceleron about two and half years ago. And it is good to see Merck posting a next-gen potential cardiovascular candidate -- in a very high burden disease, in the US.
This is why I'm not concerned about the eventual 2035 patent expiries for pembrolizumab. Merck has a fleet of great products likely to reach US markets between now and then. Here's FierceBiotech on it all, from San Diego and ACC:
. . .Entering the last day of the American College of Cardiology's annual conference, the Big Pharma is trotting out new phase 2 data of its anti-PCSK9 drug, finding that it reduced particular kinds of cholesterol by up to 61% compared to placebo.
Meanwhile, expanded phase 3 data of sotatercept, added onto background therapy, has exceeded the expectations of Chief Medical Officer Eliav Barr, M.D. “It just hits the right receptor,” he said in an interview with Fierce Biotech.
Sotatercept was the prized jewel in the company’s $11.5 billion purchase of Acceleron Pharma in 2021. The cardio med aimed at treating pulmonary arterial hypertension improved patients’ six-minute walk distance by more than 40 meters after 24 weeks compared to placebo, hitting the primary endpoint of the 323-patient trial.
The therapy also reduced the risk of clinical worsening or death by 84% compared to placebo for a median follow-up of 32.7 weeks, according to the conference presentation. What's more, sotatercept had a slightly lower discontinuation rate due to treatment-related side effects than placebo patients. . . .
Now you know -- and well done, Rahway. [As a point of fair balance though, I should note that Merck laid off some 170 of the former Acceleron science staff just exactly one year ago. . . citing changing research priorities (even though it acquired the whole company at bargain basement prices).] Onward into a warm sunshine here. . . . grin.
नमस्ते
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