Merck KGaA announces results from Improve study

Merck KGaA has announced the results of the Improve study of the new formulation of Rebif (interferon beta-1a) in patients with multiple sclerosis.

The firm said the trial data showed the therapeutic effect of the compound at 16 weeks in these individuals as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), thus meeting its primary endpoint.

Results from the study were presented at a late-breaking session of the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis being held in Montreal, Canada.

The company said the mean number of active brain MRI lesions per patient was 69 per cent lower in individuals treated with the new formulation of Rebif, compared to those receiving placebo.

Dr Mark Freedman, professor of neurology at the University of Ottawa, and director of the MS Research Clinic at the Ottawa Hospital, said: “These data demonstrate a significant effect of the new formulation of Rebif on disease activity and provide further evidence of its benefit in treating patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.”

He added that patients administered with Rebif experienced far fewer new active brain MRI lesions than those who were not.

In August 2007, Merck Serono announced its new formulation of Rebif had been granted marketing authorisation as a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis in the European Union.