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...