Mahesh Patel
Vice President & Head, Cardiovascular & Respiratory Therapeutic Area, Global Clinical Development Merck & Co
Seminars
Thursday 17th September 2026
Panel Discussion: Thinking Beyond Exacerbations & Lung Function to Define the Future of Clinical Endpoints
9:30 am
- Should COPD drug development move beyond exacerbation reduction as the dominant endpoint, and what alternative measures could better capture meaningful clinical benefit?
- How clinically meaningful are early improvements in lung function, and could they serve as valid endpoints for evaluating acute COPD treatments?
- What additional endpoints could better reflect patient benefit, including symptom improvement, quality of life, or disease progression?
- How do regulatory expectations currently shape endpoint selection in COPD trials, and where might there be flexibility for innovation?
- What strategies can developers use to demonstrate robust clinical value when proposing novel endpoints to regulators and payers?
