Rahway can certainly afford the smallish risk that these emerging flu therapies… crater. And it is hedging against the (largely non-scientific view, at the moment) that vaccines against influenza are somehow inherently suspect (thanks a ton, RFK, Jr.).

CD388 is looking effective against all strains of influenza. . . and can be sold year in and year out, to all who catch a more than moderate flu bug. So this is a smart use of about $10 billion (after rationalizing the production facilities, at scale). [The commentary in some quarters that Merck needs it — due to a patent cliff for pembrolizumab… is ill-informed. Merck will use the injectible version as a hop — and will see exclusivity into the mid-2030s. Mark my words.]

In any event, here’s the story, from CNBC, this am:

…Cidara’s experimental long-acting antiviral drug CD388 is not a vaccine and is expected to be efficacious in individuals regardless of immune status. It has the potential to be a single-dose, universal prevention against all flu strains….

It aims to protect those at higher risk of flu, with the potential to provide season-long protection.

“While this deal is somewhat complementary, it is not perfectly ‘plug and play’ with the rest of the Merck portfolio,” said Bernstein analyst Courtney Breen, calling Cidara “essentially a single asset story….”

Errata: it seems I was going too fast this morning, in search of a laugh. The comet that broke apart is technically NOT the one Avi Loeb claims is “intelligently designed“. But my point — and joke — both remain unsullied: that is a dirty snow ball, not a faster than light transport. So… it traveled for perhaps billions of years… and did… nothing? Seems less than likely. Onward, just the same.

नमस्ते