Merck to present new data for VICTRELIS® (boceprevir) and MK-5172 at The AASLD 2012 Annual Meeting

Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced today that new data from Phase III studies of VICTRELIS® (boceprevir) 200 mg Capsules, the company’s oral hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitor will be presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The meeting will take place November 9-13 in Boston.

More than 20 abstracts highlighting Merck medicines and investigational therapies for chronic HCV will be presented at AASLD, including two oral presentations and six posters on VICTRELIS. New data will also be presented on the efficacy and safety of MK-5172, Merck’s investigational, once-daily, second generation oral HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitor, in patients chronically infected with HCV genotype 1.

“We are pleased to present new data on VICTRELIS that provides healthcare professionals with information that may better inform them as they consider VICTRELIS combination therapy for appropriate patients,” said Eliav Barr, M.D., vice president, Infectious Diseases, Project Leadership and Management, Merck Research Laboratories. “We also look forward to continued discussions with the global scientific and patient communities about Merck’s investigational medicines for chronic hepatitis C, as we remain committed to reducing the burden of this serious disease worldwide.”

The abstracts were published today and can be accessed on the AASLD website. For program information, please visit https://www.aasld.org.

Key presentations for VICTRELIS (boceprevir)

Boceprevir (BOC) Combined with Peginterferon alfa-2b/Ribavirin (P/RBV) in Treatment-Naïve Chronic HCV Genotype 1 Patients with Compensated Cirrhosis: Sustained Virologic Response (SVR) and Safety Subanalyses From the Anemia Management Study. Lawitz, F. et al. Oral Presentation: Sunday, Nov. 11, 3:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m., Hynes Convention Center, Ballroom B/C.

Timing and Magnitude of Ribavirin Dose Reduction (RBV DR) Do Not Impact Sustained Virologic Response Rates with Boceprevir (BOC) + Peginterferon alfa-2b / Ribavirin (P/RBV) in the Anemia Management Study in Chronic HCV Genotype 1 Patients. Poordad, F. et al. Oral Presentation: Monday, Nov. 12, 3:45 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Hynes Convention Center, Ballroom B/C.

Other key Merck presentations

Safety and Sustained Viral Response of MK-5172 for 12 Weeks in Combination with Pegylated Interferon Alfa-2b and Ribavirin for 24 Weeks in HCV Genotype 1 Treatment-Naïve Noncirrhotic Patients. Marcellin, P. et al. Poster 766. Sunday, Nov. 11, 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Hynes Convention Center Poster Hall.

MK-5172, A Potent Second-Generation HCV NS3/4a Protease Inhibitor, Retains Potent in vitro Activity Against a Panel of Boceprevir Resistant HCV G1a and G1b Patient Isolates. Ogert, R.A. et al. Poster 1724. Tuesday, Nov. 13, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Hynes Convention Center Poster Hall. Selected as a Presidential Poster of Distinction.

Indications and usage for VICTRELIS

VICTRELIS is indicated for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 (G1) infection, in combination with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin (PR), in adult patients (18 years and older) with compensated liver disease, including cirrhosis, who are previously untreated or who have failed previous interferon and ribavirin therapy.

The following points should be considered when initiating VICTRELIS for treatment of chronic HCV infection:

• VICTRELIS must not be used as monotherapy and should only be used in combination with PR.
• VICTRELIS efficacy has not been studied in patients who have previously failed therapy with a treatment regimen that includes VICTRELIS or other HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitors.
• VICTRELIS in combination with PR has not been studied in patients documented to be historical null responders (less than a 2 log HCV-RNA decline by treatment week 12) during prior therapy with PR. The clinical studies included patients who were poorly interferon responsive. Patients with less than 0.5 log HCV-RNA decline in viral load at treatment week 4 with PR alone are predicted to have a null response (less than a 2 log viral load decline by treatment week 12) to PR therapy.
• Poorly interferon responsive patients who were treated with VICTRELIS in combination with PR have a lower likelihood of achieving a sustained virologic response (SVR), and higher rate of detection of resistance-associated substitutions upon treatment failure, compared to patients with a greater response to PR.

Important safety information about VICTRELIS

All contraindications to PR also apply since VICTRELIS must be administered with PR. Because ribavirin may cause birth defects and fetal death, VICTRELIS in combination with PR is contraindicated in pregnant women and in men whose female partners are pregnant. Avoid pregnancy in female patients and female partners of male patients. Patients must have a negative pregnancy test prior to therapy; have monthly pregnancy tests; and use two or more forms of effective contraception, including intrauterine devices and barrier methods, during treatment and for at least 6 months after treatment has concluded. Systemic hormonal contraceptives may not be as effective in women while taking VICTRELIS.

VICTRELIS is contraindicated in coadministration with drugs that are highly dependent on CYP3A4/5 for clearance, and for which elevated plasma concentrations are associated with serious and/or life-threatening events. VICTRELIS also is contraindicated in coadministration with potent CYP3A4/5 inducers, where significantly reduced VICTRELIS plasma concentrations may be associated with reduced efficacy. Drugs that are contraindicated with VICTRELIS include: alfuzosin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, rifampin, dihydroergotamine, ergonovine, ergotamine, methylergonovine, cisapride, St. John’s Wort (hypericum perforatum), lovastatin, simvastatin, drosperinone, Revatio® (sildenafil) or Adcirca® (tadalafil) (when used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension), pimozide, triazolam, and orally administered midazolam.

Anemia and/or Neutropenia — The addition of VICTRELIS to PR is associated with an additional decrease in hemoglobin concentrations compared to PR alone and/or may result in worsening of neutropenia associated with PR therapy alone. Dose reduction or discontinuation of peginterferon alfa and/or ribavirin may be required. Dose reduction of VICTRELIS is not recommended. VICTRELIS must not be administered in the absence of PR.

Complete blood counts (with white blood cell differential counts) must be conducted in all patients prior to initiating combination therapy with VICTRELIS. Complete blood counts should be obtained at treatment weeks 4, 8 and 12, and should be monitored closely at other time points, as clinically appropriate.

The most commonly reported adverse reactions (greater than 35 percent) in clinical trials in adult patients receiving the combination of VICTRELIS with PR were fatigue, anemia, nausea, headache and dysgeusia. Of these commonly reported adverse reactions, fatigue, anemia, nausea, and dysgeusia occurred at rates greater than or equal to 5 percent above the rates for PR alone in either clinical study. The incidence of these adverse reactions in previously untreated patients who were treated with combination therapy with VICTRELIS compared with peginterferon and ribavirin alone were: fatigue (58 vs. 59 percent), anemia (50 vs. 30 percent), nausea (46 vs. 42 percent) and dysgeusia (35 vs. 16 percent), respectively. The incidence of these adverse reactions in previous treatment-failure patients who were treated with combination therapy with VICTRELIS compared with PR alone were: fatigue (55 vs. 50 percent), anemia (45 vs. 20 percent), nausea (43 vs. 38 percent) and dysgeusia (44 vs. 11 percent), respectively.

VICTRELIS is a strong inhibitor of CYP3A4/5 and is partly metabolized by CYP3A4/5. The potential for drug-drug interactions must be considered prior to and during therapy.

Please see U.S. prescribing information at: http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/v/victrelis/victrelis_pi.pdf

Merck’s global commitment to advancing hepatitis therapy

Merck is committed to building on its strong legacy in the field of viral hepatitis by continuing to discover, develop and deliver vaccines and medicines to help prevent and treat viral hepatitis. In hepatitis C, company researchers developed the first approved therapy for chronic HCV in 1991 and the first combination therapy in 1998. In addition to ongoing studies with VICTRELIS, extensive research efforts are underway to develop additional innovative oral therapies for viral hepatitis treatment.