On Thursday, Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK), gained 0.09% to $54.28.
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) and Merck (MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, declared the extension of an existing partnership to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combination of Lilly’s ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection) and Merck’s KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in a pivotal Phase III study in first-line nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study will be sponsored by Merck and will be open to patients with NSCLC in the first-line setting, regardless of PD-L1 status. Financial details of the partnershipwere not revealed.
The expansion of this oncology clinical trial partnership comes following the release of encouraging data from a Phase I study, presented earlier this year at the 16th World Congress on Lung Cancer, which evaluated pemetrexed, carboplatin and pembrolizumab in first-line nonsquamous NSCLC.
Pemetrexed is a leading therapeutic option used in combination with platinum-based therapies in this setting, making it an ideal candidate for combination studies with immunotherapy treatments. Pembrolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that works by increasing the ability of the body’s immune system to assist detect and fight tumor cells. Pembrolizumab blocks the interaction between PD-1 and its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, thereby activating T lymphocytes, which may affect both tumor cells and healthy cells – and is presently approved as a single-agent therapy for certain types of NSCLC.
Merck & Co., Inc. provides health care solutions worldwide. The company offer therapeutic and preventive agents to treat cardiovascular, type 2 diabetes, asthma, nasal allergy symptoms, allergic rhinitis, chronic hepatitis C virus, HIV-1 infection, fungal infections, intra-abdominal infections, hypertension, arthritis and pain, inflammatory, osteoporosis, male pattern hair loss, and fertility diseases.
Shares of CVS Health Corp (NYSE:CVS), declined -0.01% to $92.48, during its last trading session.
CVS Health, declared a suite of new digital tools aimed at assisting customers manage their health with more ease and efficiency. According to research conducted by the CVS Health Research Institute, pharmacy customers enrolled in digital and online programs demonstrate better medication adherence and reduced health care costs overall – illustrating the potential impact of new the CVS Health digital tools.
“Our research shows that digital and online tools assist make adherence easier and more accessible for our customers across the enterprise, and evidence suggests that better adherence improves patient health outcomes while reducing health care costs,” said William H. Shrank, M.D., M.S.H.S, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for CVS Health.
Across the enterprise, CVS Health digital tools allow for easier access to programs that assist people start and stay on their prescriptions while reducing health care costs for clients of CVS/caremark, the pharmacy benefits manager of CVS Health. Preliminary research from the CVS Health Research Institute shows that those patients who enrolled online at CVS.com, Caremark.com or CVSspecialty.com were more likely to fill their prescriptions and adhere to their medications. Among CVS/caremark members with common chronic conditions such as hypertension, 10 percent more members improved their medication adherence to optimal levels after enrolling online at Caremark.com contrast to members who did not enroll. In addition, CVS/caremark clients could save up to $2.3 million in medical cost avoidance annually per 100,000 registered users.
CVS Health Corporation, together with its auxiliaries, provides integrated pharmacy health care services in the United States. The company operates through Pharmacy Services and Retail Pharmacy segments.
Finally, Shares of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI), ended its last trade with 0.38% gain, and closed at $37.01.
Sky lands is abuzz with the holiday spirit and ready to supercharge kids’ holiday wish lists with special toys, a new Sky landers Super Chargers Racing Action Pack, Sky landers merchandise, Black Friday deals and more. To kick-start the season, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned partner of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI), is offering a special holiday Sky landers Super Chargers character Missile-Tow Dive-Clops. The fun-loving character is a heavily armored deep sea explorer with an eye out for evil who slows enemies with candy-coated missiles. Missile-Tow Dive-Clops is available in Europe in late November, and in the United States and Canada on December 2, first at GameStop and EB Games, respectively.
Also available for the holiday season at Toys”R”Us stores nationwide and online at www.Toysrus.com is the premium toy line Eon’s Elite, counting fan-favorite characters Slam Bam, Zook and Voodood, in addition to a new set of heroes — Ghost Roaster, Boomer and Dino-Rang — available first at Toys“R”Us starting on November 29 ($19.99 MSRP).
Activision Blizzard, Inc. develops and publishes online, personal computer (PC), video game console, handheld, mobile, and tablet games worldwide. The company develops and publishes interactive entertainment software products through retail channels or digital downloads; and downloadable content to a range of gamers.