As part of a series of articles highlighting the role of women in the pharma industry, Richard Staines speaks to Louise Houson, MSD’s managing director for UK and Ireland
MSD and Pfizer were 2018’s top gainers on the Dow Jones Industrial Average for the calendar year, with both companies bucking the trend of an otherwise lacklustre year for the index.
Sanofi and Merck & Co picked up late 2018 approval from the FDA during the holiday period, getting a green light for their six-in-one paediatric shot Vaxelis.
Checkpoint inhibitors have already revolutionised the treatment of advanced melanoma, and Merck & Co has just claimed approval for even earlier use of its Keytruda product in Europe.
Merck KGaA and Pfizer’s late entrant to the checkpoint inhibitor category has failed a phase III trial in ovarian cancer, denting their hopes of building momentum for the product.