Merck to buy Acceleron for $11.5B; cardio drug could cushion fall from Keytruda cliff

Merck is looking for products that diversify its portfolio beyond reliance on cancer drug Keytruda, and it sees a potential blockbuster cardiovascular drug from Acceleron Pharma as fitting the bill. The pharma giant is paying $11.5 billion to acquire the biotech, and executives say they’re still on the hunt for more deals.