Merck’s $3B Eye Drug Hits Primary Goal but Raises Safety Concerns
Merck & Co. reported that its trispecific drug remigromig met its primary endpoint in the Brunello phase 2b/3 trial for diabetic macular edema (DME). The drug, acquired from EyeBio in a deal valued at up to $3 billion, demonstrated non-inferiority to the standard VEGF inhibitor ranibizumab at Week 52. While the results support the hypothesis that targeting the Wnt signaling pathway can improve visual outcomes, the trial revealed higher rates of adverse events, including proliferative diabetic retinopathy and vitreous hemorrhage, compared to the control. Merck plans to present these data at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting next month and is conducting further analyses to characterize the safety findings. A second trial for DME is ongoing and scheduled for primary completion in March 2027. The company is positioning remigromig as a complementary therapy for patients who do not respond to existing VEGF inhibitors, aiming to diversify its pipeline beyond Keytruda.