Merck to discontinue MK-7110 for COVID-19 development

In another setback in the covid space, US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) today announced it will discontinue the development of MK-7110 (formerly known as CD24Fc) for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Merck acquired MK-7110 in December 2020 through its $425 million acquisition of OncoImmune, a privately-held clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company.

As previously reported, Merck subsequently received feedback from the US Food and Drug Administration that additional data, beyond the study conducted by OncoImmune, would be needed to support a potential Emergency Use Authorization application. Based on the additional research that would be required – new clinical trials as well as research related to manufacturing at scale – MK-7110 would not be expected to become available until the first half of 2022.