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CMO Eliav Barr On Merck & Co.'s Post-Keytruda Game Plan

 
• By Jessica Merrill

Merck & Co. chief medical officer Eliav Barr talks with Scrip about the generational leadership change under way at the company, Merck's next oncology plays and its bold plan to rebuild a cardiovascular franchise.

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Merck R&D leader Barr talks to Scrip about the pipeline • Source: Shutterstock

When Merck & Co., Inc. chief medical officer and head of global clinical development Eliav Barr took over the position from Roy Baynes earlier this year, it was the latest transition in a broader leadership change that has been under way at Merck since 2021, with new CEO Rob Davis and new head of R&D Dean Li. That new guard is tasked with laying the groundwork to ready Merck for the approaching loss of exclusivity (LOE) for Keytruda.

The mega-sized cancer drug has dazzled investors and reshaped the company's portfolio and pipeline for years, but Merck’s reliance on...

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UroGen Gets A First-Ever Bladder Cancer Approval Despite US FDA AdComm ‘No’ Vote

 
• By Joseph Haas

UroGen’s Zusduri was approved despite an advisory committee vote recommending against it in May. It is the first approved drug for a type of recurring bladder cancer.

UCB Follows Fellow European Pharmas With Major US Investment

 
• By Kevin Grogan

The Belgian drugmaker is boosting its biologics capacity over the pond.

Lilly Looks For Muscle-Sparing Candidates In Pact With Juvena

 
• By Joseph Haas

Deal Snapshot: Including its internal efforts with bimagrumab, Lilly has been seeking a muscle-sparing therapy to complement GLP-1 obesity drugs, such as Zepbound.

Asia Deal Watch: Otsuka’s Taiho Licenses LSD1 Inhibitor Rights To Benz

 
• By Joseph Haas, Lisa Takagi, Jung Won Shin, Vibha Ravi, and Sushmita Panda

Plus deals involving BioAge/JiKang, Sanyou/Medicovestor, AriBio/Acino, Intragrand/Transpire, Kaken/Twocells, Sumitomo/Novo Nordisk, NIBEC/Undisclosed, Formosa/Adalvo, Drug Farm/Amoytop, Lupin/SteinCares and Lupin/Honeywell.

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