OUR AREAS OF INTEREST

Diabetes and Endocrinology

  • Diabetes

    Areas of Interest:

    • Any treatments for glucose with risk reduction of co-morbidities (eg, dyslipidemia, hypertension, weight loss)
    • Novel or best-in-class protein / peptide therapeutics
      • Insulin
        • Novel "breakthrough" insulins (eg, glucose-dependent, liver-targeted) to complement existing efforts
        • Insulin delivered by alternate routes (eg, oral, buccal, transdermal, nasal) that also offers an improved clinical profile
      • Best-in-class GLP-1 based therapies
    • Oral therapies: Best-in-class and novel mechanisms
      • Non-PPAR insulin sensitizers
      • Glucose-dependent insulin secretagogues (GDIS)
      • Beta-cell protection or regeneration if also affects GDIS
      • Ability to combine with metformin is a must-have
      • Additive / synergistic in combination with sitagliptin
      • Best-in-class SGLT inhibitor
    • Treatments for the microvascular complications of diabetic neuropathy and/or retinopathy with human clinical efficacy data
      • Prefer agents that halt / reverse complications in > 1 target, but this is not essential if solid POC data obtained for either neuropathy or retinopathy
    • Treatments for diabetic nephropathy with preclinical efficacy data; preferably in more than 1 model of diabetic nephropathy

    Not Interested in:

    • Nutraceuticals or natural product mixtures
    • Non–glucose-dependent insulin secretagogues for diabetes
    • Cell-based insulin replacement for type 1 diabetes unless long-term clinical POC data exists
    • Compounds with unknown molecular target unless clinical POC exists

  • Obesity

    Areas of Interest:

    • Completed Phase II data are required for obesity licensing opportunities
      • Must meet registration criteria for obesity indication with better safety and tolerability vs current agents
    • Best-in-class compounds and novel mechanisms for weight loss or both weight loss and prevention of weight gain
      • Any effective mechanism (eg, those acting centrally or peripherally on appetite, satiety, or metabolic rate, and nutrient absorption inhibitors)
      • Peptide, protein, or oral small molecule
      • Independent effects on comorbidities (blood pressure, glucose, lipids) desirable
      • Mechanisms that are additive or synergistic as combination therapy

    Not Interested in:

    • Nutraceuticals or natural product mixtures
    • Compounds with unknown molecular target unless clinical POC exists

  • Osteoporosis

    Areas of Interest:

    • Osteoanabolic agents
      • Novel mechanisms with known molecular target; Prefer small molecule osteoanabolic agents
      • Must have preclinical POC; clinical POC (eg, data on BMD, rate of bone formation vs bone resorption) highly desirable
      • Novel delivery for well-validated targets (eg, PTH) with clinical data to demonstrate a differentiated profile

    Not Interested in:

    • Nutraceuticals or natural product mixtures
    • Growth hormone or secretagogues for osteoporosis
    • ER alpha modulators for osteoporosis
    • Classic antiresorptive agents, including bisphosphonates with improved formulations that allow less frequent dosing or better tolerability for osteoporosis
    • Compounds with unknown molecular target unless clinical POC exists

  • Contraception and Fertility

    Areas of Interest:

    • Compounds with a differentiated product profile and with completed Phase IIB data for female contraception
    • Compounds or biologics with a differentiated product profile and with completed Phase IIB data for treatment of female infertility

    Not Interested in:

    • Basic research collaborations towards validation of novel targets for contraception or infertility treatment
    • Male contraception
    • Emergency contraception
    • Progestagens for luteal support
    • Obstetrics

  • Other Areas of Women’s Health

    Not Interested in (unless in Phase III or later):

    • Compounds, biologics, medications, and / or treatments in the following areas are outside strategy unless in Phase III with a differentiated product profile
      • Endometriosis
      • Menopausal complaints
      • Uterine fibroids
      • Female sexual dysfunction
      • Dysmenorrhea

  • Technologies and Capabilities

    Areas of Interest:

    • Alternate delivery of peptides
    • Half-life extension technologies for delivery of peptides
    • Platform technologies for the identification and validation of novel targets for diabetes to complement existing efforts
    • Imaging agents for monitoring pancreatic beta-cell mass
    • Pharmacogenetics, pharmacogenomics, proteomics, or other for prediction of diabetes, obesity, drug response, and sub-phenotyping of disease. Clinical validation data are needed
    • Clinical methods for early prediction of long-term weight loss
    • Novel delivery or formulation to support monthly dosing for odanacatib
    • Novel delivery or formulation technologies to support Merck’s late-stage product candidates for contraception or treatment of infertility
    • Biomarkers for osteoporosis
      • Biomarkers of fracture risk and treatment response for patient stratification (eg, genetics / genomics)
      • Non-invasive biomarkers of bone strength, quality, and microarchitecture with clinical translation data (eg, imaging)
      • Novel translatable biomarkers of bone changes
        • Responders to Cat K inhibitor therapy
        • Early read-out of gain in bone mass
        • Selective for cortical vs trabecular bone anabolism

Areas of Interest

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Research & Enabling Technologies Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Diseases Biologics Respiratory and Immunology Diabetes and Endocrinology Infectious Diseases Neurosciences and Ophthalmology Oncology Therapeutics Vaccines Global Out-Licensing

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