MRK · News · 20261103N
Product / Drug Pipeline Progress
Merck & Co., Inc. · 2026-11-03 · Importance 34 · Surprise 42 · In source text
Merck Animal Health received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products for NUMELVI™ (atinvicitinib) tablets for dogs. If approved by the European Commission, NUMELVI would be the only second-generation JAK inhibitor for pruritus associated with allergic dermatitis, including atopic dermatitis, and for clinical manifestations of atopic dermatitis in dogs. The once-daily treatment is designed to selectively target JAK1 and can be used in dogs as young as six months.
Key facts
- Merck Animal Health received a positive opinion from the EMA’s CVMP for NUMELVI tablets for dogs; if approved by the European Commission, it would be the only second-generation JAK inhibitor for the stated conditions. source
- NUMELVI is designed to be highly selective for JAK1 and to allow use in dogs as young as six months. source
- A third-party article described a looming patent cliff for Merck’s Keytruda and stated that the pipeline, including Sac-TMT and Lipfendra, is crucial to offsetting potential generic-competition losses. source
Impact estimates
| metric | direction | stage | expected | basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| revenue | positive | probable | — | Merck Animal Health received a positive opinion from the EMA’s CVMP for NUMELVI tablets for dogs; if approved by the European Commission,… |