10.06.2014 • NewsMerckDede WillamsGilead Sciences

Merck & Co Buys Idenix to Boost Hepatitis C Portfolio

Merck & Co has announced it will buy Idenix Pharmaceuticals for $3.85 billion. The US drugmaker plans to combine the most promising drugs in the two portfolios to produce a faster, more effective cure for hepatitis C.

The payoff could come from a triple therapy that may cure patients with all genotypes, or strains, of the hepatitis C virus in as little as four to six weeks, Merck's research chief, Roger Perlmutter, said in an interview with the news agency Reuters.

"An ideal therapy means something that works in every hepatitis C-infected patient, irrespective of which genotype," Perlmutter said. "Our goal is to cure everyone quickly using an oral regimen."

The deal comes as drugmakers aim to better compete with Gilead Sciences Inc's Sovaldi, an $84,000 treatment approved in December that generated an unprecedented $2.3 billion in sales in the first few months on the market.

The cost of Sovaldi, claimed to cure well in excess of 90% of patients in as little as 8 weeks of treatment, has drawn sharp criticism from insurers and government officials.

Idenix has three drugs in development to treat hepatitis C, most notably a pill in early-stage trials called IDX21437. Like Sovaldi, it is a nucleotide inhibitor - or "nuc" - that blocks a protein needed by the hepatitis C virus to replicate.

Merck hopes to combine IDX21437 with its two high-profile experimental oral treatments, a protease inhibitor called MK-5172 and a so-called NS5A inhibitor called MK-8742 that together received a "breakthrough therapy" designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Virtual Event

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry
CHEManager Spotlight

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry

Save the Date: October 22, 2025
The event will be promoted to a combined audience of over 100,000 professionals across Europe through the CHEManager and CITplus networks.

Innovation Pitch

The Start-up Platform for Chemistry & Life Sciences
Discover Tomorrow’s Innovators

The Start-up Platform for Chemistry & Life Sciences

CHEManager Innovation Pitch supports innovation in the chemistry and life sciences start-up scene. The platform allows founders, young entrepreneurs, and start-ups to present their companies to the industry.

most read

Photo
13.03.2025 • News

Roche and Zealand Pharma Collaborate on Weight Management Drug

Swiss pharma heavyweight Roche announced has entered into an exclusive collaboration and licensing agreement with Denmark’s Zealand Pharma. Under the terms of this agreement, the two companies will collaborate to co-develop and co-commercialize petrelintide, Zealand Pharma’s amylin analog as a standalone therapy as well as a fixed-dose combination with Roche’s lead incretin asset CT-388.

Photo
22.04.2025 • News

BASF Divests Two Joint Ventures in China

BASF has divested its shares in the joint venture companies, BASF Markor Chemical Manufacturing (Xinjiang) Co., Ltd. and Markor Meiou Chemical (Xinjiang) Co., Ltd. in Korla, China, to Verde Chemical Singapore Pte. Ltd.