Merck cites 'jaw dropping' data on cholesterol blockbuster contender
Merck unveiled an impressive set of pivotal data on its closely-watched cholesterol drug anacetrapib.
Merck ($MRK) scored a coup at the American Heart Association meeting as it unveiled an impressive set of pivotal data on its closely-watched cholesterol drug anacetrapib. Widely billed as a potential blockbuster, investigators in charge of the trial cited "jaw dropping" results, with a striking 138 percent increase in good cholesterol and a 40 percent drop in bad cholesterol among patients already taking statins.
"The lipid effects are jaw dropping in both directions," declared Dr. Christopher Cannon, the study's lead investigator from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Just as importantly, researchers said that there were no serious side effects recorded during the 18-month trial, with fewer patients in the anacetrapib arm experiencing serious heart problems than those in the placebo group.
Merck is anxiously trying to avoid the catastrophic failure Pfizer ($PFE) experienced with torcetrapib, another CETP inhibitor. Four years ago Pfizer had to halt its pivotal
Related News
-
News CPHI Podcast Series: The power of proteins in antibody drug development
In the latest episode of the CPHI Podcast Series, Lucy Chard is joined by Thomas Cornell from Abzena to discuss protein engineering for drug design and development. -
News Amgen sues Samsung biologics unit over biosimilar for bone disease
Samsung Bioepis, the biologics unit of Samsung, has been issued a lawsuit brought forth by Amgen over proposed biosimilars of Amgen’s bone drugs Prolia and Xgeva. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: Why we need to consider women in clinical trials
The latest episode of the CPHI Podcast Series with Lucy Chard covers women's health, specifically women's representation in clinical trials, the associated bias, and the impacts on health for this population. -
News US FDA does not approve MDMA therapy for PTSD, requests more data
The MDMA-based therapeutic developed by Lykos Therapeutics, a California-based Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), has been reviewed and unapproved by the US FDA. The regulator has requested additional phase III trial data for further safety and efficacy... -
News Novartis and Viatris latest facing lawsuit over HeLa cell misuse
Global pharmaceutical companies Novartis and Viatris are the latest hit with a lawsuit claim pertaining to alleged misuse of the ‘HeLa’ cell line from the estate of woman whose cancerous tissue cells were taken without consent. -
News Sanofi invests billions into Frankfurt insulin production site
French pharmaceutical company Sanofi have announced an investment of EUR1.3 billion at their existing BioCampus site in Frankfurt am Main for the expansion of insulin production. -
News Novel oral Type 1 diabetes drug gains US FDA IND designation
A University of Alabama at Birmingham startup has gained FDA clearance for Investigational New Drug clinical trials for an oral Type 1 diabetes drug, a milestone for diabetes treatment. -
News A Day in the Life of a Vice President in R&D & Engineering
In the Day in the Life of Series, we've already had the chance to get to know a range of people in various roles in the pharma industry. In the latest interview we get a glimpse into the R&D side of things from Jennifer Sorrells, Vice Presiden...
Position your company at the heart of the global Pharma industry with a CPHI Online membership
-
Your products and solutions visible to thousands of visitors within the largest Pharma marketplace
-
Generate high-quality, engaged leads for your business, all year round
-
Promote your business as the industry’s thought-leader by hosting your reports, brochures and videos within your profile
-
Your company’s profile boosted at all participating CPHI events
-
An easy-to-use platform with a detailed dashboard showing your leads and performance