The family-owned German group is the market leader in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with Ofev but the big-selling drug has significant side effects and only slows, but does not stop, the progression of the disease. It is hoping that the Phase III-ready compound BI 1015550 will offer a significant improvement.

Even without Lagevrio, Merck's base business grew by double digits; the company raised its revenue guidance for the year.

Public Company Edition: Only nine drug developers went public in the US, raising $807m in the first quarter, versus 32 IPOs raising $5.2bn in Q1 of last year. Also, MoonLake closed its SPAC merger, Sanofi priced €650m in sustainability-linked bonds in €1.5bn note sale, and Kaleido will cease operations.

Totals for aggregate deals and in the M&A, alliance and divestment categories were similar among the 10 busiest deal makers from 2020 to 2021, but COVID-19 may have driven a more hectic deal-making pace overall in 2020.