Merck & Co. Inc. might be the fourth or fifth big pharma to bring a Lipoprotein(a)-lowering therapy to the market with HRS-5346, the drug it just licensed from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals for $200m up front, but it is in the running to be the first or second with an oral drug. The company already is waiting for a big bet to play out in the space, with Phase III results for its oral lipid-lowering PCSK9 inhibitor enlicitide decanoate (MK-0616) expected this year.
Merck Doubles Down On Oral Lipid-Lowering Drugs With Hengrui’s Lp(a) Asset
HRS-5346 Is In Phase II In China
Merck & Co., which already has an oral PCSK9 inhibitor in Phase III, licensed Hengrui’s Lipoprotein(a)-lowering small molecule HRS-5346 outside of Greater China for $200m up front.
More from Deals
• By
Plus deals involving GV20/Mitsubishi Tanabe, Kaken/Alumis, AstraZeneca/Alteogen and deal terminations involving Clover/Gavi Alliance and Rhythm/RareStone.
• By
The obesity market leader has unveiled its second deal in days, paying $75m upfront for a potential first-in-class ACSL5 inhibitor, while the deal also provides some respite for Lexicon.
• By
Plus deals involving Relmada/Trigone, Alvotech/Xbrane, OPKO Health/Entera, iOncologi/TargImmune and more.
• By
Merck & Co., which already has an oral PCSK9 inhibitor in Phase III, licensed Hengrui’s Lipoprotein(a)-lowering small molecule HRS-5346 outside of Greater China for $200m up front.
More from Scrip
• By
The highlights of recent comments and insights from industry executives on the key issues covered in Scrip.
• By
RemeGen is planning to complete enrolment in the global Phase III RemeMG study with telitacicept in generalized myasthenia gravis by the end of 2025 or early 2026. The Chinese firm has already sidelined two other global Phase III trials with the molecule to prioritize the indication.
• By
Private Company Edition: The latest group of drug developers to announce venture capital financings is remarkable for its geographic diversity, from Character Biosciences’ $93m series B round in the US to Augustine’s $85m series B in Belgium to a $29.2m series C for Aculys in Japan.