Merck’s next big thing is (probably) on the way

At some point today, the FDA is expected to approve a cardiovascular therapy from Merck that analysts have tabbed as the company’s most important drug launch in years.

It’s called sotatercept, and it’s an injectable treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare condition in which scarring in the small blood vessels of the lungs inhibits blood flow to the right side of the heart. In a pivotal trial, Merck’s drug improved patients’ symptoms and reduced the risk of disease progression and death.