#copd

#copd

When surgeons removed a 33-year-old woman's right lung as part of her cancer treatment in 1995, they expected a dramatic and permanent reduction in her breathing power. But that's not what happened. Instead, her remaining lung pulled off a trick that scientists had long thought impossible in humans: it grew new tissue, and lots of it. Over the next 15 years, her left lung compensated for the loss of its partner by nearly doubling in volume and growing millions of new air sacs, called alveoli.

Merck has agreed to acquire Verona Pharma for $10 billion, gaining access to its first-in-class drug Ohtuvayre, which treats chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This acquisition is crucial as Merck seeks assets amid an impending revenue drop from its top product losing patent protection.