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 RD 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
SOURCE: Merck Serono
CONTACT: Contact: Benedicte Bogh, +41-22-414-3600
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