Merck & Co. Pushes Back On Modest Projections For Verquvo

Merck & Co.'s vericiguat, an sGC stimulator, was approved for heart failure but it enters a competitive space with a narrow indication.

broken paper red heart isolated on pink background, top view, flat lay
Vericiguat approval brings a novel mechanism of action to HFrEF patients

Merck & Co., Inc.'s newly approved chronic heart failure drug Verquvo (vericiguat) will launch into a competitive therapy area and some analysts expect the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator will get off to a slow commercial start, partly due to modest efficacy and partly to its narrow indication – though Merck & Co. believes the drug’s novel mechanism of action offers a valuable new option.

Verquvo was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on 20 January to reduce risk of cardiovascular death and...

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