Merck said remigromig met the primary endpoint in the pivotal Brunello trial, showing non-inferiority to Roche's Lucentis in visual acuity for patients with diabetic macular edema. The drug, acquired through the EyeBio takeover, is part of a Wnt-targeting class designed to restore the blood-retinal barrier.
Both sources report safety signals: higher rates of proliferative diabetic retinopathy, intraocular bleeding, and treatment discontinuations among remigromig recipients. Merck says it is conducting further analyses. Analysts differ on the significance. RBC Capital Markets' Trung Huynh called the results "mixed" and expressed concern, while Evercore ISI's Umer Raffat downplayed the issue, noting that vitreous hemorrhages have been seen in other eye drug trials and calling the disclosure "classic Merck conservative fashion."
The sources disagree on the deal value: Fierce Biotech describes a $3 billion takeover, while BioPharma Dive reports $1.3 billion upfront plus up to $1.7 billion in milestones. Full one-year results are due Oct. 10, and a second pivotal trial is ongoing. Merck's stock rose about 1%, while Surrozen, which is developing a similar Wnt-targeting drug, doubled.