Pharmaceutical giant Merck said it plans to acquire privately held Oncoimmune for 42 5,425 million in cash, which would entitle the under-the-radar drug, which has shown shocking results for hospitalized patients with Covid-19.
In a phase-by-clinical study in late September, a drug called CD24FC was shown to reduce the risk of respiratory failure or death by more than 0% in hospitalized patients and patients in need of oxygen in Covid-1, Merck said Monday.
The drug was given as an intravenous infusion in addition to the standard .f-care, which may include rimadasevir and dexamethasone, and was compared with standard care alone. The data, in 203 patients, also showed that patients receiving CD24 FC were 60% more likely to see an improvement in clinical condition.
“The results are remarkable,” said Merck’s head of research, Dr. Roger Pearlmutter said in a telephone interview.
Covid U.S. There are approximately 1,000,000 cases per day in India and a record number of people with the disease are hospitalized, a drug that can significantly improve recovery and reduce the risk of death or cause patients to become seriously ill as they need a ventilator. The big difference in the epidemic.
But there is a problem: supply.
“We realized that this small company was not in a position to create a CD24 FC for the treatment and cure of all people who could potentially benefit from this drug.” “We’ve decided that this is the only way, seriously, this can be brought about for those whose needs must be tilted to the best of our ability.”
Merck plans to shift some of its production capacity to start making the drug. But it is a complex drug for production and it will take time. Pearlmutter said it aims to get enough supplies “before the middle of next year, and ideally before that”.
Founded and helmed by Yang Liu, director of Im fum Immunotherapy at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Medicine in Nakouimmoon, reported the top-line results of the trial on its website in September. They have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Merck says detailed results are being released.
Nonetheless, these findings attracted little attention from the world, but one person who did pay attention was the U.S. Monsef Sloi was the government’s chief adviser on Operation Operation and Speed Speed. He 1 Nov. In a telephone interview on Tuesday, he noted that the data for cocommunication drug “has been simply incredible,” noting that “the effect of the relative mortality rate is very clear.”
Sloe explained that the drug “prevents the immune system from becoming hyper-active.” That is why the steroid dexamethasone proved so effective in a trial in June when treating patients with a more severe stage of Covid-19; When patients get sick of it, it may be their own immune system that will kick in the overdrive that causes problems, not viruses.
Asked why so little attention was paid to the results of the CD24 FC, Perlmutter was asked, “To be honest, no one would have thought it would have such an effect.” “If you look at other anti-inflammatorys that have been studied in very sick Covid-19 patients, it’s hard to show that they have no effect.”
In addition to the possibility of helping with the epidemic, Merck got OnCommun as he sees the possibilities for CD24 FC beyond Covid. It outlines a promise for graft versus host disease, a dangerous immune reaction that can occur after a bone marrow transplant, and Perlmutter said there may be more requests.
The 42 5,425 million deal comes with the possibility of additional payments based on certain regulatory targets. But Merck only acquires CD24 FC, while Co Nokimyun will take out other rights and assets in the new company, in which Merck will invest $ 50 million.
“People don’t plan to get authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use unless people actually have an adequate supply of drugs to use it,” Pearlmutter said. It’s now Merck’s job – developing a pill for covid as well as two vaccines for the disease.
“Now we have this horrific, horrific surge in Covid-19 cases, and many people have been hospitalized in serious or serious condition, and many more in the ICU, thousands of people, or possibly hundreds or more combined,” states Drugs may be needed, “Perlmutter said.” We have to move to heaven and earth to build materials. “
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