FDA approval of Vumerity (diroximel fumarate), a new therapy for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) offering improved gastrointestinal tolerability over Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), marks a win for its co-developers, Biogen Inc. and Alkermes plc, while triggering a $150 million payment from Biogen to its partner to mark the milestone. Biogen will also pay Alkermes a royalty on worldwide sales of the product.

DUBLIN – Merck & Co. Inc. is in line to obtain conditional marketing authorization from the European Union for its live attenuated vaccine for preventing Ebola virus infection, V920 Ebola Zaire vaccine (rVSVDG-ZEBOV-GP live), following a positive recommendation for approval from the EMA's Committee for Human Medicinal Products (CHMP) at its October meeting last week. Formal approval should follow within 67 days, after which the Kenilworth, N.J.-based pharma would market the vaccine as Ervebo.