Merck's Antiviral Medicine Meets Endpoint In Phase III

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) announced that a phase III study on its antiviral pipeline candidate, letermovir met the primary endpoint.

Letermovir is being developed for the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CVM) infections.The study assessed the safety and efficacy of letermovir in preventing clinically significant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in CMV-seropositive adults who have undergone an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with clinically-significant CMV infection through 24 weeks after transplant.

The patients enrolled in the study received letermovir once daily either in the form of an oral tablet or intravenously. The therapy was begun as early as the same day of the HSCT and no later than 28 days post-transplant. It continued for about 100 days after the HSCT.

Merck bought worldwide rights to develop and commercialize letermovir from Germany based AiCuris GmbH & Co KG in 2012. Letermovir enjoys granted orphan designation in the EU as well as in the U.S.

Merck has made significant progress with its pipeline and is working on bringing new products to the market. The company has prioritized its pipeline so that candidates with the highest potential get the required support. Merck presented positive data from two major studies of Keytruda in the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic NSCLC at the ESMO 2016 Congress, the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology this month. Notably, Merck’s new products are performing well.

Merck has also been pursuing acquisitions and business development deals to boost its pipeline. The company is also aiming to increase its presence in the emerging markets. To fulfill its objective, the company plans to launch new products, successfully market its current portfolio of drugs and vaccines, and leverage the market for branded generics.

Merck currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other favorably ranked stocks in the healthcare sector include Bioblast Pharma Ltd. (NASDAQ:ORPN) , Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) and Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) . All the companies sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Bioblast Pharma recorded an average positive surprise of 51.66% for the last four quarters. The loss estimates for 2016 and 2017 have narrowed down over the past 60 days.

Geron has an average positive surprise of 20.78% for the last four quarters.

Exelixis has an average positive surprise of 9.10% for the trailing four quarters. Its share price has surged more than 100% year to date.

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