Merck is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The company provides leading healthcare solutions to improve human and animal wellbeing around the world.
The treatment Merck has developed is an oral pill, called Mavenclad, which is used to treat highly active relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis in adults and has now been approved by European regulators.
The European Commission’s approval allows Merck to market Mavenclad in the EU’s 28 member countries.
Mavenclad is a short-course oral pill that is taken in two treatment courses, twelve months apart and works by gradually reducing the numbers of certain B-cells and T-cells.
The Phase III CLARITY trial was a 2-year trial that compared Mavenclad to a placebo. The results of the study showed that there was a reduction in the relapse rate of 58% with the lower dose and 55% with the higher dose. The trial also showed that Mavenclad harnessed the disease for 4 years but there was no need to continue with the treatment in years 3 and 4.
Multiple Sclerosis affects more than 700,000 people across Europe and has no cure to date. New treatment options will significantly help improve the quality of life of people living with active relapsing MS.
Anne Winslow, President of the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform
