Merck to Present Latest Cardiovascular Research Advances at ESC 2025 Congress

Rowe, New Jersey, USA2025Year8Month26Day——MSD (the corporate name of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA) announced that the company will present the latest clinical trial and real-world study data at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Annual Congress, to be held in Madrid, Spain, from August 29 to September 1, 2025.

      The data released at this conference cover MSD's latest research progress in the fields of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD), Pulmonary Hypertension (PH), and Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF).

      "Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, and MSD is committed to addressing this urgent public health challenge through research and innovative science."Senior Vice President of Merck & Co., Inc., Head of Global Clinical Development and Chief Medical OfficerEliav BarrPh.D."This year's conference showcased data that reflects our ongoing commitment to advancing cardiovascular research, with the hope of bringing new possibilities to patients worldwide."

      MSD to Present Two Oral Reports on Treatment Patterns and Disease Burden in ASCVD Patients. The first report, based on a 10-year national registry data in China, evaluates the clinical and economic burden of patients with or without myocardial infarction; the second report will explore temporal trends in lipid-lowering therapy among a large population of ASCVD patients. These data highlight MSD's continued commitment to ASCVD patient research and uncover opportunities to improve disease management in real-world settings.

      During the conference, sotatercept-csrk^[1]Updated information from clinical trials for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) will also be disclosed, including the rationale and design of the Phase II CADENCE study, which evaluates the use in adult patients with combined post-capillary pulmonary hypertension (Cpc-PH) associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF); as well as data from the ZENITH study, assessing the impact of sotatercept-csrk on hemodynamics in high-risk PAH patients.

      MSD will also have two hotline oral presentations and two supplementary poster presentations, disclosing data from the VICTOR study evaluating vericiguat in adult patients with HFrEF, a pooled analysis of the VICTOR and VICTORIA studies, as well as real-world analyses.

AboutESCSymposia Supported by the Company During the Conference:

      MSD will host three symposia during the conference. On Sunday, August 31, from 9:15 AM to 10:00 AM (Eastern Time) / 15:15 to 16:00 (Central European Summer Time), a symposium in the Yerevan Room at the North Convention Center will focus on the impact of cumulative LDL-C exposure and the continuum of ASCVD risk on the clinical management of hyperlipidemia, as well as the importance of achieving earlier and lower LDL-C targets in ASCVD patients for the prevention of cardiovascular events. The other two symposia will focus on treating pulmonary arterial hypertension through reverse remodeling and improving right heart function (August 31, 9:15-10:00, Algiers Room, Hall 7), and patient advocacy activities in cardiovascular disease, exploring barriers and challenges in cardiovascular disease (August 29, 4:00-4:45 PM, Nicosia Room, North Convention Center).

      In addition, MSD is one of the supporters of the ESC Cardiovascular Health Check. Attendees at the ESC Annual Meeting can participate for free in a comprehensive blood test cardiovascular risk screening, which includes total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), triglycerides, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and other indicators.

InESCKey abstract data disclosed at the annual meeting include:

Friday, August 29, 3:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CEST

Sunday, August 31, 7:15 a.m. ET/13:15 p.m. CEST

Monday, September 1, 4:15 – 4:45 a.m. ET/10:00 – 10:45 a.m. CEST

Saturday, August 30, 6:30 – 7:15 a.m. ET; 12:30 – 13:15 p.m. CEST

Friday, August 29, 3:15 – 4:00 a.m. ET/9:15 – 10:00 a.m. CEST

Friday, August 29, 3:15 – 4:00 a.m. ET/9:15 – 10:00 a.m. CEST

Friday, August 29, 3:15 – 4:00 a.m. ET/9:15 – 10:00 a.m. CEST

Saturday, August 30, 2:33 a.m. ET/8:33 a.m. CEST

Saturday, August 30, 2:43 a.m. ET/8:43 a.m. CEST

Monday, September 1, 5:15 – 6:00 a.m. ET/11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CEST

Monday, September 1, 5:15 – 6:00 a.m. ET/11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CEST

About MSDCommitment in the Cardiovascular Field

      MSD has a deep accumulation and continuous innovation drive in the field of cardiovascular diseases. Since launching our first cardiovascular treatment drug more than 60 years ago, we have remained committed to advancing scientific progress and deeply exploring the nature of cardiovascular-related diseases. Cardiovascular disease remains one of the most severe health challenges globally, claiming approximately 19 million lives each year.

      As an innovation leader in the industry, MSD has always adhered to scientific excellence throughout every stage of new drug research and development, regulatory approval, and lifecycle management. We actively collaborate closely with global experts in the fields of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, driving cutting-edge research to continuously achieve breakthroughs and striving to bring practical health-improving solutions to patients worldwide. We firmly believe that through relentless scientific innovation and collaboration, we can make greater contributions to the cause of human health.

Regarding the Global Collaboration between Bayer and MSD

      In October 2014, Bayer and MSD (the trade name of Merck & Co., Inc., located in Rahway, New Jersey, USA) initiated a global collaboration in the field of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) modulators to comprehensively evaluate the potential of this therapeutic class in areas of unmet medical needs. Vericiguat was jointly developed by Bayer and MSD. MSD holds the commercial rights for vericiguat in the United States, while Bayer has exclusive commercial rights in all other regions globally. Both companies equally share the development costs of vericiguat.

About MSD

      At MSD (the corporate name of Merck & Co., Inc. in Kenilworth, NJ, USA), we unite in pursuit of a shared mission: harnessing the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For over 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We are committed to being a top research-intensive biopharmaceutical company — today, we stand at the forefront of innovation, delivering cutting-edge solutions to advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in humans and animals. We have built a diverse and inclusive global workforce, operating responsibly every day to ensure a safe, sustainable, and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.msd.com and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

About MSD China

      China is a crucial part of MSD's global growth strategy. MSD’s China headquarters is located in Shanghai, with a research and development center in Beijing and manufacturing facilities in Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Tianjin, integrating R&D, manufacturing, and commercial operations. We are fully committed to providing high-quality innovative medicines, vaccines, and services to the people of China, benefiting Chinese society. For more information, please visit MSD China's official website or follow MSD China's official social media account on WeChat.

MSD Forward-Looking Statements

      MSD is the corporate name of Merck & Co., Inc., located in Rahway, New Jersey, USA (hereinafter referred to as "the Company"). This press release contains "forward-looking statements" made under the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The content herein is based on the current views and expectations of the Company’s management and is subject to significant risks and uncertainties. MSD does not guarantee that its products under development will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or achieve commercial success. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties arise, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements.

      Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition, general economic factors (including interest rate and currency fluctuations), the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulations and healthcare policies in the United States and other countries, global trends toward healthcare cost containment, technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors, inherent challenges in new product development (including obtaining regulatory approval), MSD's ability to accurately predict future market conditions, difficulties or delays in production, instability in international economic and financial conditions along with sovereign risks, reliance on the effectiveness of MSD’s patents and other innovative product protections, and the risk of patent litigation and/or regulatory actions against the company.

      MSD has no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements due to new information, future events, or other reasons. Other factors may cause actual results to materially differ from forward-looking statements; see MSD's 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (available at www.sec.gov).

[1]As of now, sotatercept-csrk has not been approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China.