After its fourth drug failure this year, Merck has two medicines in late-stage development.

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Vertex plans to conduct additional studies of VX-661 to further evaluate its potential for late-stage development, pending regulatory discussions.

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But I was not prepared for the broad criticism of the companies that took the chance to advance bapi into late stage development.

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This productivity surge is supported by the large number of experimental medicines now in late stage development, especially in the area of oncology.

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The split ends a decades-long partnership that appeared to unravel after Lilly signed a deal earlier this year with Boehringer Ingelheim to jointly develop and sell several diabetes compounds that are in mid- and late-stage development, including a Boehringer oral diabetes agent known as linagliptin.

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When BMS was getting ready to start late stage clinical trials, they decided to seek a development and co-marketing partner.

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It also has a drug that is being tested in late-stage clinical trials and another in the early stages of development.

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Drug development is a risky business, where one-fifth of the compounds that enter late-stage trials fail.

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