We long ago predicted that Winrevair™ -- for PAH -- would be a multi-billion dollar franchise for Rahway. I was a little puzzled in the second half of 2024, when it seemed to initially be slow going.
The treatment should be a breakthrough, and as more real world post approval data flows in, it seems that maybe some side-effects are not quite as prevalent as the initial, smaller clinical trials suggest they might be. So all of that is very good news, for Merck. Here's just a bit from FiercePharma -- do go read it all, from Friday past:
. . .Based on a survey of cardiologist and pulmonologists treating patients for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), analysts at Leerink Partners believe that Merck’s Winrevair “should have strong uptake growth” in 2025.
The treatment, which was the primary target in Merck’s $11.5 billion acquisition of Acceleron in 2021, logged $149 million in sales in the third quarter. It was a solid but underwhelming performance for the long-awaited drug that Merck has projected will reach $3 billion in peak sales. . . .
[T]he Leerink survey indicates that the risk of patients bleeding as a side effect of Winrevair is lower than that portrayed in a registrational trial that set the drug up for its FDA nod in March 2024.
“The real-world safety is better than expected,” Leerink wrote while acknowledging that the data need to mature.
“In 2024 we believe sentiment regarding bleeding risk and early market access challenges likely contributed to a slower Winrevair ramp, as many respondents expressed caution given the high bleed rate reported in clinical trials and were quick to discontinue or pause therapy,” Leerink wrote. . . .
So -- we will reiterate our belief that a year from now, Merck ought to be trading closer to $130 on the NYSE, than the high $90s of today. Onward, smiling. . . be excellent to one another.
नमस्ते
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