GENEVA, March 31, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck Serono, a
division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced that new data from
the company's multiple sclerosis (MS) portfolio of approved and
investigational treatments will be presented at the 62nd Annual
Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) taking place
April 10 to 17, in Toronto, Canada. The data presented will focus
on Rebif(R) (interferon beta-1a), an established therapy for
relapsing forms of MS, and Cladribine Tablets, a potential oral
therapy for relapsing forms of MS currently under regulatory review
in a number of countries.
"We have made a commitment as a leading company in this field to
advance the treatment of multiple sclerosis and the underlying
science," said Bernhard Kirschbaum,
Merck Serono's Head of Global Research and Development. "The data
presented at the upcoming AAN meeting will further contribute to
the existing body of knowledge about Rebif(R) and Cladribine
Tablets, as well as to a greater understanding of the disease."
The following abstracts have been accepted for presentation at
the 62nd AAN Annual Meeting:
Rebif(R) (interferon beta-1a)
Platform presentations
- Measures of Early Clinical Activity as Prognostic Factors
for Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple
Sclerosis (presentation S01.005, Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 2:45 pm EDT)
- Subcutaneous Interferon beta-1a Treatment and Pregnancy
Outcomes in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (presentation S40.005,
Wednesday, April 14, 2010, 5:15 pm EDT)
Poster presentations
- Assessing the Risk of Malignancy in Patients with Multiple
Sclerosis Receiving Subcutaneous Interferon beta-1a (poster P01.167,
Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 7:30 am-12:00 pm EDT)
- Impact of Medication Adherence to Disease-Modifying Drugs on
Severe Relapse, and Direct and Indirect Costs among Employees with
Multiple Sclerosis (poster P01.204, Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 7:30 am-
12:00 pm EDT)
- Interferon Beta-1a Modulation of B Cells: Implications for
Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (poster P04.197, Wednesday, April 14,
2010, 3:00 pm-7:30 pm EDT)
Cladribine Tablets
Platform presentation
- Analysis of Clinical and Radiological Disease Activity-Free
Status in Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS)
Treated with Cladribine Tablets, in the Double-Blind, 96-Week CLARITY
Study (presentation S21.008, Wednesday, April 14, 2010, 3:45 pm EDT)
Poster presentations
- Health Resource Utilization in the CLARITY Study (poster
P01.205, Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 7:30 am-12:00 pm EDT)
- Consistent Efficacy of Cladribine Tablets across Multiple
Sclerosis and Patient Characteristics, in the Double-Blind, 96-Week
CLARITY Study (poster P02.186, Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 3:00 pm-7:30 pm
EDT)
- Effects of Cladribine Tablets on Circulating Lymphocyte
Subsets in the 96-Week CLARITY Study in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple
Sclerosis (RRMS) (poster P04.219, Wednesday, April 14, 2010, 3:00 pm-
7:30 pm EDT)
About Merck Serono
Merck Serono is the division for innovative prescription
pharmaceuticals of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a global pharmaceutical and chemical
company. Headquartered in Geneva,
Switzerland, Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures
and markets innovative small molecules and biopharmaceuticals to
help patients with unmet medical needs. In the United States and Canada, EMD Serono operates through separately
incorporated affiliates.
Merck Serono has leading brands serving patients with cancer
(Erbitux(R), cetuximab), multiple sclerosis (Rebif(R), interferon
beta-1a), infertility (Gonal-f(R), follitropin alpha), endocrine
and metabolic disorders (Saizen(R) and Serostim(R), somatropin),
(Kuvan(R), sapropterin dihydrochloride) as well as cardiometabolic
diseases (Glucophage(R), metformin), (Concor(R), bisoprolol),
(Euthyrox(R), levothyroxine). Not all products are available in all
markets.
With an annual R&D expenditure of more than EUR 1 billion, Merck Serono is committed to
growing its business in specialist-focused therapeutic areas
including neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, fertility and
endocrinology, as well as new areas potentially arising out of
research and development in autoimmune and inflammatory
diseases.
About Merck
Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with total
revenues of EUR 7.7 billion in 2009,
a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by approximately
33,000 employees in 61 countries. Its success is characterized by
innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck's operating
activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the
Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and free
shareholders own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S.
subsidiary Merck & Co. was expropriated and has been an
independent company ever since.
For more information, please visit http://www.merckserono.com or
http://www.merck.de