Merck announced that data from across its multiple sclerosis (MS) portfolio will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2019 Annual Meeting, 4–10 May 2019 in Philadelphia, United States. Merck will present a total of 20 abstracts (18 posters and two platform presentations), including data on Mavenclad (cladribine tablets), the investigational therapy evobrutinib (an oral, selective Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitor) and Rebif (interferon beta-1a), as well as findings from the patient perceptions initiative by MS in the 21st Century.
“The wealth of data to be presented at AAN 2019 highlights our continued progress across our portfolio of marketed products and investigational agents in multiple sclerosis,” said Luciano Rossetti, Head of Global Research & Development for the Biopharma business of Merck. “We are very proud of our commitment to further the understanding of multiple sclerosis and enhance our clinical development program to meet the needs of patients.”
Key Mavenclad data will include:
- Post-hoc analysis of the Clarity Extension study to examine the durability of no evidence of disease activity‑3 (NEDA‑3) in relapsing MS (RMS) patients receiving cladribine tablets
- Integrated analysis of pooled long-term safety data of cladribine tablets in patients with MS collated from the Clarity, Clarity Extension, Oracle-MS studies and the Premiere registry
- A new analysis of the speed of onset of the MRI effect is presented. At 3 months the effect on new inflammatory lesions was apparent in the Oracle-MS study. In the same study consistency in clinical outcomes was observed across different patient subgroups defined by patient and disease characteristics at baseline
- Abstracts from the Oracle-MS study describe the effect of cladribine tablets on early MS
- Results from studies investigating the biological effects of cladribine tablets, including the effect on lymphocyte proliferation, and endothelial responsiveness to tumour necrosis factor and its effect on hematopoietic precursors and immune cells, to offer further insights on the potential mode of action of cladribine tablets
Key evobrutinib data will include:
- Results of analysis of the efficacy and safety of evobrutinib in patients with RMS over 48 Weeks: a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study
Key Rebif data will include:
- Investigation from the European Interferon Beta (IFNβ) pregnancy registry and Nordic health study into the prevalence of pregnancy outcomes in IFNβ-exposed women
- Results from the Improve study on the dynamics of pseudo-atrophy in RMS patients treated with interferon beta-1a as assessed by monthly brain MRI
Merck will also be announcing the launch of a new, collaborative MS research network called ‘MS-LINK’ (Leadership and Innovation Network), an initiative that brings together a community of multiple sclerosis stakeholders to form a scientific foundation for sustainable transformation of MS care, with the shared goal of improving patient outcomes.
