Merck KGaA gets a thumbs up for once-dead MS drug; Aveo shares soar as tivo makes a comeback
→ Cladribine is back. Once given up for dead by Merck KGaA, the multiple sclerosis drug has been endorsed by the CHMP in Europe, setting up a likely approval. Longtime Merck KGaA watchers will recall that Merck killed the program after the FDA and the EMA quashed inadequate applications 6 years ago — an embarrassing setback that triggered a major overhaul of the company’s R&D group. “The positive opinion from the CHMP is an extraordinary development for Merck, affirming our belief in Cladribine Tablets as a potential important treatment option for patients living with multiple sclerosis,” said Belén Garijo, CEO Healthcare and member of the executive board of Merck. “We now eagerly await the European Commission decision, and the opportunity to make a difference in the MS treatment paradigm.”
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