(Reuters) -Merck & Co said on Monday an experimental treatment it gained through its $11.5 billion deal for Acceleron Pharma met the main goal of a study testing it in patients with a progressive blood vessel disorder.
The treatment, sotatercept, when compared to placebo showed statistically significant improvement in exercise capacity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Merck last year bought Acceleron Pharma to gain access to sotatercept, as it seeks to bulk up its pipeline ahead of blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda losing key patents in 2028.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension affects an estimated 40,000 people in the United States, according to Merck.
(Reporting by Khushi Mandowara and Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
