Merck's $9.2B Cidara Buyout: Are We Really Betting on Flu Prevention, or Just Delaying the Inevitable?
Alright, let's get this straight. Merck, the big pharma juggernaut, is dropping $9.2 BILLION on Cidara Therapeutics? For a flu prevention drug? Seriously? Give me a break.
The Keytruda Cushion
The official line is that Merck is "widening its pipeline" because Keytruda, their cash cow, is losing patent protection. Okay, fine. Diversification is smart, offcourse. But let’s be real: this feels less like a strategic pivot and more like frantically throwing money at anything that might resemble a future revenue stream. Are we really supposed to believe that this is about curing the flu and not about lining pockets?
And what's this I'm reading? "CD388 has the potential to be another important driver of growth through the next decade, creating real value for shareholders." Oh, right, shareholders. Because that's what really matters here. Not, you know, people.
They are acting like this is a new solution. Is it really, though?
The Janssen Rejection
Here's the kicker: Johnson & Johnson already dumped this drug. Janssen, their infectious disease and vaccine R&D wing, gave it the boot back in April 2024. And now Merck swoops in, picks up the scraps, and acts like they've discovered the next penicillin?
Cidara had to pay Janssen 85 million to get the rights back. Let that sink in. They paid to reclaim something J&J didn't even want. Now Merck is buying the whole shebang for billions. Does anyone else smell something fishy here, or is it just me?
"Janssen’s loss is Merck’s gain," says Merck CEO Robert Davis. More like Janssen's trash is Merck's… well, you get the idea. According to a recent report, Merck pays $9.2B for Cidara, picking up flu antiviral spurned by J&J.
I mean, let's be brutally honest. Big Pharma isn't exactly known for its altruism. They’re in the business of managing diseases, not curing them. A world without the flu? That's less profit. A long-acting antiviral that people need to take regularly? Now that's a business model.
The BARDA Boost
Oh, and here's another detail that makes me raise an eyebrow. Cidara got a sweet deal from BARDA (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority) – potentially up to $339 million! Taxpayer money, folks, going into a drug that was already rejected by another major player.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against funding medical research. But the optics here are terrible. It's like we're subsidizing Merck's desperation play.
And they are calling it a "non-vaccine alternative for flu prevention." So, what is it, exactly? They say it's not a vaccine or a monoclonal antibody, but a "low molecular weight biologic meant to function as long-acting small molecule inhibitors." Sounds like marketing speak to me. This is a bad idea. No, 'bad' doesn't cover it—this is a five-alarm dumpster fire.
Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe CD388 really is the answer to our flu woes. But color me skeptical. This whole deal stinks of desperation, not innovation.
So, What's the Real Story?
Look, I'm not a scientist. I don't know if this drug will work. But I do know that Big Pharma is in the business of making money. And this deal, with all its twists and turns, feels less like a genuine attempt to eradicate the flu and more like a cynical ploy to keep the revenue flowing. They expect us to believe this nonsense, and honestly... I'm just tired.