MERCK
20.12.2021 14:02:06 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced a strategically focused expansion of its neurology pipeline with the acquisition of the rights to develop cladribine for the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Merck entered into an agreement to secure the global rights by acquiring Chord Therapeutics, a Swiss-based biotech company focused on rare neuroinflammatory diseases.
“Cladribine has a unique mechanism of action which is relevant in antibody-mediated disease such as NMOSD and gMG. In exploratory studies, cladribine demonstrated promising results in these diseases. These data have prompted us to initiate further development with cladribine in gMG and NMOSD to potentially bring a new therapeutic option to patients and expand our portfolio in this area,” said Danny Bar-Zohar, MD, Head of Global Development for the biopharma business of Merck.
Cladribine is a well characterized molecule that has been extensively studied across MS and oncologic disorders and has shown promising results in exploratory studies in gMG and NMOSD. Merck plans to leverage its existing capabilities to further develop an oral cladribine product tailored specifically for these indications. The transaction is expected to be closed in early 2022 after satisfactory completion of customary closing conditions.
Generalized myasthenia gravis is a disease in which patients experience weakness in ocular, limb, and respiratory muscles and that has a significant impact on Quality of Life. It is estimated that 700,000 people around the world are living with gMG. NMOSD, also known as Devic´s disease, is an autoimmune disease, often misdiagnosed as MS due to similar symptoms. NMOSD is estimated to impact 200,000 people around the world.
About Chord Therapeutics
Chord Therapeutics is a Swiss-based clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing drugs for patients with rare, life-threatening and severely disabling diseases. Chord is advancing its lead drug candidate, CRD1 (cladribine), for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). Chord Therapeutics was founded in 2014 and launched in October 2020 with Series A funding by its sole investor, Omega Funds, a leading international venture capital firm focused on delivering impactful medicines to patients.
Merck in Neurology and Immunology
Merck has a long-standing legacy in neurology and immunology, with significant R&D and commercial experience in multiple sclerosis (MS). The company`s current MS portfolio includes two products for the treatment of relapsing MS – Rebif® (interferon beta-1a) and MAVENCLAD® (cladribine tablets). Merck aims to improve the lives of patients by addressing areas of unmet medical needs. In addition to Merck`s commitment to MS, the company also has a pipeline focusing on discovering new therapies that have the potential in other neuroinflammatory and immune-mediated diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
All Merck Press Releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Website. Please go to www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.
About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.
Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211220005062/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Santander Financial Crime Transformation Leader Joins ThetaRay to Drive Enterprise AI Adoption7.7.2026 10:00:00 CEST | Press release
As Chief Strategic Customers Officer, former Group VP Luis Pinedo will scale ThetaRay’s AI compliance infrastructure across global banks, payment providers and financial institutions. ThetaRay, a leader in AI infrastructure for financial crime compliance, today announced the appointment of Luis Pinedo as Chief Strategic Customers Officer. Previously Pinedo was Group VP of Compliance at Santander Bank, where during his 16-year tenure, he led global Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) transformation initiatives across operating models, processes, and technology platforms. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260707359150/en/ Luis Pinedo joins ThetaRay as Chief Strategic Customers Officer. In his new role, Pinedo will bring key perspectives from tier-one banking operational challenges to ThetaRay’s product development and design. He will lead strategic customer engagement as well as product strategy across ThetaRay’s ent
Robbyant Unveils LingBot-Depth 2.0 and LingBot-Vision to Redefine Robotic Spatial Perception7.7.2026 09:54:00 CEST | Press release
Robbyant, an embodied AI company within Ant Group, today announced the launch of LingBot-Depth 2.0, a next-generation spatial perception model, alongside its foundational visual model, LingBot-Vision. This release marks a significant leap in robotic spatial perception, empowering robots to accurately understand and navigate the physical world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260706806935/en/ LingBot-Depth 2.0 reconstructs complete and planar 3D structures in challenging scenarios involving mirrors and glass From "Seeing" to "Seeing Accurately" Building upon the success of LingBot-Depth, which pioneered the Masked Depth Modeling (MDM) technique to resolve depth sensing challenges for transparent and reflective surfaces, LingBot-Depth 2.0 represents a massive scale-up in training data and performance. Trained on 150 million samples, the new model achieves top rankings in 12 out of 16 depth completion benchmarks.
RGI Group Strengthens Its Personal Insurance Capabilities in France Through KAPIA-RGI’s Acquisition of Cegid Assurex Solutions7.7.2026 09:30:00 CEST | Press release
RGI, a leading European provider of digital insurance platforms, announces that KAPIA-RGI, its France-based company specialised in personal insurance solutions, has acquired Cegid Assurex solutions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260707323665/en/ This transaction marks a major milestone in the Group's development strategy in French speaking markets in Europe and further enhances its ability to support insurers, mutual insurers, provident institutions, brokers and bancassurers in their innovation and digital transformation initiatives. By integrating Cegid Assurex's expertise, talent and solutions, KAPIA-RGI consolidates its position as the reference leader in the Life Insurance, Savings, Retirement, Annuities and Provident markets. This acquisition expands its client base with more than 20 additional customers while accelerating innovation and growth in a market shaped by evolving regulation, automation and a
Bitcoin Suisse Advances Middle East Expansion, Receiving Financial Services Permission in Abu Dhabi7.7.2026 09:15:00 CEST | Press release
Premium virtual assets pioneer BTCS (Middle East) Ltd. is now fully authorized by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of ADGM, enabling regulated institutional services across the UAE. Building on its position as Switzerland’s leading crypto financial services provider, Bitcoin Suisse is further accelerating its international expansion. Bitcoin Suisse Group’s subsidiary, BTCS (Middle East) Ltd. (“BTCS ME”) has received Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of ADGM, the international financial centre of Abu Dhabi, marking another significant step toward the Group’s international growth strategy becoming a leading global wealth management partner. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260707864200/en/ Ceyda Majcen, Chief Executive Officer and SEO of BTCS ME, leads Bitcoin Suisse Group's expansion in the Middle East and brings extensive, long-standing
Alpaca Completes EEA Passporting to 29 Countries, Expanding Access to Regulated Investment Services Across Europe7.7.2026 09:00:00 CEST | Press release
Alpaca now provides regulated, localized investment services across the European Economic Area Alpaca, a global leader in brokerage infrastructure APIs, today announced that it has completed the process to passport its regulated and localized investment services across 29 countries in the EEA (European Economic Area) through its Spain-based EEA hub. The completion of EEA passporting enables Alpaca to extend the regulatory foundation established through its European entity, which is authorized and registered with Spain’s Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), across the EEA under the MiFID II framework. Together with Alpaca’s regulated UK entity, this milestone strengthens Alpaca’s ability to support fintechs, financial institutions, and enterprise partners building regulated investment products across Europe, reaching a market of nearly 500 million people. The passported countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finla
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom