Merck Plans To ‘Tuck In’ Imago And Its Phase III-Ready Hematologic Candidate

Merck & Co., Inc. is well aware that it needs to begin planning for its post-Keytruda future, with the blockbuster anti-PD-1 agent slated to lose patent protection in 2028, but with its plans for a large-scale merger with Seagen Inc. falling through in recent months, the New Jersey pharma is taking on a smaller acquisition with its announced $1.35bn offer for the hematology company Imago BioSciences, Inc.

With a tender offer more than doubling Imago’s share price as of 18 November, Merck is willing to place a wager on the unproven lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) inhibitor space, an area thought to offer potential in myeloproliferative neoplasm (MNP) indications such as essential thrombocytopenia (ET), myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera (PV)