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Merck Receives Health Canada’s Approval for Perioperative Keytruda for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LA-HNSCC)

Shots:Health Canada has approved neoadj. Keytruda followed by adj. Keytruda + SoC radiotherapy (RT) ± cisplatin & then as a single agent to treat operable LA-HNSCC tumors expressing PD-L1 (CPS ≥1)Approval was based on P-III (KEYNOTE-689) trial assessing neoadj. Keytruda (200mg, IV, Q3W × 2 cycles), followed by adj. Keytruda (15 cycles) + SoC RT ±…

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Merck and Pfizer Report Topline P-III (KEYNOTE-905) Trial Finding on Keytruda + Padcev to Treat Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer (MIBC)

Shots:The P-III (KEYNOTE-905/EV-303) trial randomized cisplatin-ineligible MIBC pts to Arm A (3 cycles of Keytruda + surgery with 14 subsequent cycles), Arm B (surgery alone), or Arm C (3 cycles of Keytruda + Padcev before surgery, followed 6 cycles of the combination, then 8 cycles of Keytruda alone)Arms C & B showed improved…

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Merck NDA for Investigational HIV-1 Two-Drug Regimen DOR/ISL Accepted by US FDA

Shots:The US FDA accepted Merck’s NDA for once-daily oral doravirine/islatravir (DOR/ISL) for virologically suppressed HIV-1 adults; PDUFA target action date: Apr 28, 2026DOR/ISL showed non-inferiority to bART in open-label P-III MK-8591A-051 and to BIC/FTC/TAF (50mg/200mg/25mg) in P-III MK-8591A-052 at Week 48; the safety profile was generally comparable in the P-III MK-8591A-051 studyThe…

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Merck to Acquire Verona Pharma for ~$10B

Shots:Merck has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Verona Pharma incl. its asset Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine), expanding its cardio-pulmonary pipeline & portfolioAs per the deal, Merck will acquire Verona Pharma for $107 per American Depository Share (ADS), each representing 8 ordinary Verona shares, for an aggregate of ~$10B; closing expected in Q4'25Ohtuvayre…

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Merck and Daiichi Sankyo Report First Patient Dosing with Ifinatamab DXd in P-III (IDeate-Prostate01) Trial for mCRPC

Shots:Merck & Daiichi Sankyo have dosed first pts with ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd) in its P-III (IDeate-Prostate01) trial for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), which was initiated based on positive P-I/II (IDeate-PanTumor01) trial dataThe P-III (IDeate-Prostate01) trial will evaluate I-DXd (12mg/kg) vs docetaxel (75mg/m²) plus corticosteroid in ~1440 mCRPC pts, who progressed during or after…

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Merck Receives the US FDA’s Approval for Perioperative Keytruda for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LA-HNSCC)

Shots:The US FDA has approved neoadj. Keytruda followed by adj. Keytruda + SoC radiotherapy (RT) ± cisplatin & then as a single agent to treat operable LA-HNSCC based on P-III (KEYNOTE-689) trialTrial assessed neoadj. Keytruda (200mg, IV, Q3W × 2 cycles), followed by adj. Keytruda (15 cycles) + SoC RT ± cisplatin vs…

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