Dean Y. Li

Stories

Antibody-drug conjugate combination outperforms chemo-immunotherapy in PD-L1-negative lung cancer

Said in August 2026 that Merck would rethink KEYNOTE-189 with sac-TMT; no global successor trial had been launched as of late October 2026

Pairing an antibody-drug conjugate with pembrolizumab kept advanced lung cancer from worsening for a median of 15 months, nearly three times as long as the standard pembrolizumab-plus-chemotherapy regimen. The Phase III OptiTROP-Lung06 results were presented on October 25 at the ESMO congress in Madrid and published the same day in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Updated Oct 27

Merck's remigromig meets main goal in pivotal eye disease trial

New Capabilities

Overseeing remigromig's development and regulatory path

Jefferies cut its risk-adjusted peak sales estimate for remigromig by 60%, to $300 million. The change followed Merck's presentation of full one-year BRUNELLO results at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting in October. In the 984-patient trial, the drug matched ranibizumab on vision but produced smaller gains and higher rates of proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Updated Oct 26

The first personalized cancer vaccine reaches pivotal testing

New Capabilities

Overseeing Merck's post-Keytruda pipeline strategy

Cancer vaccines have promised to train the immune system against tumors for decades. None has delivered a durable, replicable benefit until now.

Updated Oct 25

FDA approves first oral PCSK9 inhibitor for high cholesterol

New Capabilities

As of July 2026: Led the program behind Merck's first-in-class approval

For a decade, the most powerful cholesterol drugs came only as shots. On July 16, 2026, the FDA approved Merck's Lipfendra, a once-daily pill that cut LDL cholesterol about as much as those injections did.

Updated Jul 16

Notable Quotes

Yes, we are going to rethink Keynote-189, which is Keytruda plus chemo, and now we have sac-TMT as an ADC, as a next-gen chemo.

from Antibody-drug conjugate combination outperforms chemo-immunotherapy in PD-L1-negative lung cancer · Updated Oct 27

As the first new mechanism of action in more than 20 years to demonstrate non-inferior visual acuity compared with standard-of-care anti-VEGF therapy in a pivotal DME study, remigromig has the potential to expand treatment options for retinal specialists and patients.

from Merck's remigromig meets main goal in pivotal eye disease trial · Updated Oct 26

Merck framed the pill as a way to reach patients who never started, or stopped, injectable cholesterol therapy.

from FDA approves first oral PCSK9 inhibitor for high cholesterol · Updated Jul 16