Merck's R&D pipeline gets a boost

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. Merck & Co.’s acquisition of Schering-Plough has delivered a big boost to the drug maker’s research and development pipeline, according to a company statement Monday.

Merck said Monday that it had 20 investigational drugs and vaccines in late-stage clinical trials or under current review by government regulators, and a further 20 in mid-stage clinical trials.

“The combination of two complementary pipelines has yielded a robust and diversified portfolio to fuel Merck’s future growth,” Merck Research Labs president Peter Kim said. “Many of the more than 40 phase 2 and phase 3 investigational medicines and vaccines have the potential to have a major impact on human health.”

The pipeline includes treatments and vaccines for cancer, hepatitis C, human papillomavirus, Staphylococcus aureus, atherosclerosis, hypertension, thrombosis, diabetes, insomnia and schizophrenia. Drugs include the hepatitis C drug MK-7009 (vaniprevir) and the cancer drug MK-0646 (dalotuzumab).