Pfizer-Merck diabetes med Steglatro sees mixed results in cardio outcomes study

Pfizer (PFE +0.0%) and collaboration partner Merck (MRK +3.7%) announce results from a large-scale Phase 3 clinical trial, VERTIS CV, evaluating cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in more than 8,200 type 2 diabetics with atherosclerotic CV disease who were receiving Steglatro (ertugliflozin).

The study met the primary endpoint demonstrating the non-inferiority (no worse than) of ertugliflozin compared to placebo as measured by the time to first occurrence of MACE (major adverse cardiovascular event), 11.9% in the treatment group versus 11.9% in the control arm (p<0.001).

Key secondary endpoints to demonstrate the superiority of ertugliflozin were not met, including time to the first occurrence of the composite of CV death or hospitalization for heart failure, time to CV death alone and time to the first occurrence of the composite of renal death, dialysis/transplant or doubling of serum creatinine.

The FDA approved the SGLT2 inhibitor in December 2017.

SGLT2 inhibitor-related tickers: AstraZeneca (AZN +2.2%), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ +2.5%), Eli Lilly (LLY +16.4%)

J&J’s Invokana (canagliflozin) and Lilly’s Jardiance (empagliflozin) already have CV benefit claims.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3583523-pfizer-and-mercks-diabetes-med-steglatro-shows-mixed-results-in-cardiovascular-outcomes-study