Merck’s sotatercept approval brings vascular remodeling to PAH

With the approval of first-in-class Winrevair sotatercept from Merck, pulmonary arterial hypertension patients gain a therapeutic mechanism that targets the underlying disease pathology — abnormal signaling in the pulmonary artery walls — marking the start of a disease-modifying treatment paradigm for PAH and related indications.

Winrevair, which Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) gained through its $11.5 billion acquisition of Acceleron Pharma Inc. in 2021, was approved to treat PAH, a population that Merck told BioCentury represents about 40,000 patients in the U.S. ...