Hey NYR gang,
I did a bit more research, and I found that the other PCSK9 inhibitor in development currently is MK-0616, owned by Merck. This drug has already undergone two Phase I trials with 111 participants overall, with an average LDL level decrease of about 65%, with no deaths or serious adverse events, although this does not go into much detail on what adverse effects may have been experienced. I could also have interpreted this wrongly, but it appears that the 65% reduction occurs for patients who were ALREADY being treated by statins, compared to the 50-60% reduction seen in the injectable PCSK9 inhibitors [1]. Like Nyrada, it appears that they may be chasing a more user-friendly way to inhibit PCSK9.
In contrast, Nyrada's drug seems to achieve a 65% reduction when administered with the statin Lipitor and this has not been validated in humans yet. Based on the above, it seems that MK-0616 may be more potent, as well as clinically mature?
I couldn't find anything on MK-0616 on this forum so thought I would ask if other holders are aware of this, is this cause for concern, or would Nyrada be attacking a different part of this overall space? And is Nyrada specifically positioning themselves for Pfizer to bolster their strength in this space once more, and therefore this may still be appealing even if Merck may be ahead in the clinic?
Would be keen to hear your thoughts.
Cheers
1.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aha/95709
(20min delay)