If you had to name one company who have executed well in the IO space, it’s hard to argue against Merck with their consistent and relentless efforts from the pembrolizumab clinical development program building a blockbuster niche by niche.

Dawn of a new IO era at ESMO23?

Beyond checkpoint blockade, what’s next?

Are they a sparkly one-horse wonder or are there real possibilities to build a kingdom based on rational combinations?

Not every phase 1 pipeline agent is going to make it to the next stage, never mind over the finish line to market – some folks might think of this as the funnel of shame. The indiscriminate mud flinging which follows an ‘as many shots on goal as possible’ winner takes-all-approach is limiting, however, when you realise it creates an achilles heel in strategic thinking.

Instead suppose you can build a linchpin to enable you to build on while offering a helping hand up to some of your other early products in combination? To do this you need optimised agents which play well when combined. Now you have a very different proposition while raising the bar to other competitors – who may not have similar agents with optimal properties.

In our latest company interview, we explore the progress with several of Merck’s early stage products, look from the lens of how they see them, and where they’re headed…

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