💊 One Merck buys a new cancer drug; The other Merck makes a big R&D play; Novo Nordisk ups its API game

#221 | The WHO wants to list all pathogens

Hello, and welcome back to The Kable. New day, new news.

Such as that of Merck, the MSD one, pumping in $1.3 billion to acquire clinical-stage biotech Imago BioSciences in a deal which gives the pharma giant a potential small molecule alternative to a class of drugs that introduce dangerous side effects.

Across the pond in Germany, Merck KGaA has outlined its R&D focus, saying it intends to launch a new medicine or major treatment indication every 18 months. Its productivity vision spotlights the need for deals to shake up its R&D pipeline.

In Japan, Fujitsu is partnering with Wakayama Medical University to conduct joint trials of new fall detection technologies to monitor patients in hospital rooms and nursing homes. The trial will use Fujitsu's new millimetre-wave sensor in combination with AI. Eyes? They're so old school.

In India, a new digital platform has been launched to track down dengue, malaria, and chikungunya. The platform will use reports across social media, where everything is always correct and accurate, to trace and track diseases to district and street locations.