Is Merck Paying Peanuts to Viralytics for Full Access to Its Oncolytic Immunotherapy Drug Candidate?

Pharma/ Biotechnology Investments Specialist, Vasuda Capital Management

Dr. Bhavneesh Sharma, MD, MBA

Pharma/ Biotechnology Investments Specialist

Vasuda Capital Management

Equity Bottom-Up

Bristol Myers Squibb Co / Equity Bottom-Up

<p>FDA approved Roche's (U.S. ADR, OTCBB: RHHBY) Tecentriq, a checkpoint inhibitor that targets PD-L1 as a second-line therapy in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) today. The mechanism of action of this checkpoint inhibitor is thus, different from the two leaders in this space, Bristol-Myers Squibb's (NYSE: BMY) Opdivo and Merck's (NYSE: MRK) Keytruda, both of which block the PD-1 (programmed death receptor). To make this clearer, the tumor PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is shown in the figure…</p>

FDA approved Roche's (U.S. ADR, OTCBB: RHHBY) Tecentriq, a checkpoint inhibitor that targets PD-L1 as a second-line therapy in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) today. The mechanism of action of this checkpoint inhibitor is thus, different from the two leaders in this space, Bristol-Myers Squibb's (NYSE: BMY) Opdivo and Merck's (NYSE: MRK) Keytruda, both of which block the PD-1 (programmed death receptor). To make this clearer, the tumor PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is shown in the figure…

Roche's Tecentriq Approved As Second-Line in Lung Cancer: Implications For Bristol-Myers Squibb