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Merck’s Anti-PCSK9 Pill Sets Up Convenience Battle Against Infrequently Dosed Injectables

 
• By Alaric DeArment

The drug maker announced the start of a Phase III program for its oral PCSK9 inhibitor MK-0616, including a 14,550-patient outcomes trial set to start later in the year.

Merck announced the initiation of its Phase III program for oral PCSK9 inhibitor MK-0616 • Source: Shutterstock

Merck & Co., Inc. is making a big push with the Phase III program for its oral PCSK9 inhibitor MK-0616, but it remains to be seen whether an oral option will wind up becoming preferred over the currently approved injected drugs given that patients must still take Merck’s pill daily, whereas the injectables offer in many cases far less frequent dosing. In other words, the competition will likely come down to different ideas of what is more convenient.

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Pipeline Watch: Eight Approvals And Three Phase III Readouts

Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events and approvals announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.