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Blow For Keros’s PAH Candidate As Dreams Of Surpassing Winrevair Fade

 
• By Alexandra Shimmings

The Lexington, MA-based firm lost three quarters of its value after it voluntarily halted dosing in two arms of a Phase II trial of its lead product, cibotercept, on safety concerns. Some observers think the reaction was overblown, however.

Lungs

Keros Therapeutics’ ambitions to go up against Merck & Co’s Winrevair with its investigational pulmonary arterial hypertension therapy, cibotercept, have taken a knock after safety concerns halted enrolment in two treatment arms of its Phase II trial. The move was triggered by unexpected cases of pericardial effusion with the drug at its higher doses, prompting a 73% decline in its share price on NASDAQ on 12 December, and leaving it trading at around cash at $18.43.

Key Takeaways

An unexpected safety concern has halted two arms of a Phase II study of Keros's pulmonary arterial hypertension drug candidate.

Some hope remains but the setback means it will be harder for cibotercept to rival Merck & Co's similar therapy, Winrevair

Keros’s path forward is far from clear, but some analysts say that there is still some hope for the product as well as value in the firm’s wider

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