And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Our agenda is, so far, rather modest. We plan to catch up on our reading, promenade with the official mascots, and hope to hold another listening party, featuring this, this, this, this and this. Depending on your location, staying cozy indoors with a book or watching a moving picture show may be ideal. Perhaps this is an possibility to stimulate the economy and visit an eatery or two.Or you could simply plan the rest of your life.Whatever you do, have a grand time, but be safe. Enjoy,and see you soon.
Merck is in talks to acquire cancer drug developer Revolution Medicines in a deal potentially worth $28 billion to $32 billion, Reuters reports. Other large pharmaceutical companies also express interest in Revolution,and another suitor could emerge. Merck aims to bolster its late-stage pipeline, which has nearly tripled as 2021 through internal progress and acquisitions, as it prepares to loose patent exclusivity for its blockbuster cancer treatment Keytruda later this decade. Acquiring Revolution would grant Merck access to daraxonrasib, an experimental drug in late-stage trials that received a fast-track review voucher from the U.S. food and Drug Management. This drug targets multiple mutations in the RAS genes, common drivers of cancers like pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancers.
Eli Lilly found that combining its weight loss drug Zepbound with its immunology therapy Taltz provided greater benefits for obese patients with an autoimmune condition causing joint pain than Taltz alone, according to STAT. The data suggest zepbound, already proven effective for obesity and sleep apnea, may also help with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). However, the notable demand for Zepbound due to its weight loss effects may limit the impact on prescribing patterns. Lilly positions the trial as a way to highlight Taltz, stating it is “now the first and only biologic for PsA with data supporting a potential comprehensive treatment approach alongside” a GLP-1 drug. Several other immunology drugs remain popular among patients and doctors.
