Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Presents New Osteoarthritis Data at OARSI 2018 World Congress

DARMSTADT, Germany, April 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company which operates its healthcare business in the U.S. and Canada as EMD Serono, today announced 16 abstracts, including two oral presentations, will be presented at the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) 2018 World Congress, held April 26-29, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The presence of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany at OARSI reflects the company's dedication to helping optimize outcomes for patients living with chronic progressive diseases, with the goal of developing novel disease-modifying therapies for osteoarthritis (OA).

Data of note includes an oral presentation of the three-year analysis of FORWARD, a five-year, multicenter Phase II study of sprifermin in OA of the knee. Results were consistent with the two-year results, which showed a statistically significant dose-dependent increase in cartilage thickness in total, lateral and medial femorotibial compartments as compared to placebo treatment, based on quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI). At year three, which was eighteen months after the last treatment cycle, cartilage thickness declined in all treatment arms as compared to year two. However, the difference observed at year two with sprifermin at the highest dose and frequency versus placebo was maintained at year three. The safety profile at year three was consistent with results observed at year two, where treatment emergent adverse events were balanced between groups and musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders the most common.

"These data suggest the structural benefit of sprifermin at the highest dose was maintained in the third year and its long-term potential as a disease-modifying treatment for osteoarthritis will continue to be explored," said Dr. Marc C. Hochberg, primary investigator of the FORWARD study and Division Head, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine. "Osteoarthritis impacts an estimated 10 percent of the world's population over the age of 60¹ and represents an area of high unmet need for disease-modifying treatment options."

A second oral presentation features the results of an ex vivo study that showed sprifermin induced extra-cellular matrix remodelling and cartilage regeneration. In the study, long-term treatment with sprifermin continuously increased metabolic activity and type II collagen formation in human OA articular cartilage compared with placebo. 

"We are committed to helping patients with osteoarthritis by elevating our understanding of the disease and continuing to invest in highly-targeted therapies," said Luciano Rossetti, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Research & Development at the biopharma business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. "Our intent is to provide true advancement to the field of osteoarthritis by developing therapeutic options with disease-modifying potential."  

Additional presentations include: pre-clinical data for M6495, an ADAMTS-5 inhibiting nanobody moving into Phase I clinical development for OA; pre-clinical data for M1673, a GDF5 mutant for the potential treatment of OA; and research related to improving measures and patient recruitment in OA studies. 

Accepted abstracts at the OARSI 2018 World Congress include:

For more information about the data to be presented, please access the OARSI app. Also, visit the Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany booth at this year's Congress to learn more about the company's commitment to advancing innovation in OA.

About Sprifermin 
Sprifermin is in clinical development to investigate its potential as a treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. It is a truncated recombinant human FGF-18 protein thought to induce chondrocyte proliferation and increased extra-cellular matrix (ECM) production, with the potential of promoting cartilage growth and repair. Sprifermin is currently in Phase II studies.

About M6495 
M6495 is in clinical development to investigate its potential as a treatment for osteoarthritis (OA). Administered subcutaneously, M6495 is a selective nanobody thought to inhibit a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5 (ADAMTS-5), a metalloproteinase crucial for cartilage matrix destruction as an early and key event in developing OA, with the potential for providing structural improvement and rapid pain relief for all OA joints. M6495 is currently being evaluated in a first-in-man Phase I study in healthy subjects.

All Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the EMD Group Website. In case you are a resident of the USA or Canada please go to www.emdgroup.com/subscribe to register again for your online subscription of this service as our newly introduced geo-targeting requires new links in the email. You may later change your selection or discontinue this service.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany 
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. More than 52,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2017, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 15.3 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, holds the global rights to the „Merck" name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

¹ Arthritis Facts & Figures. Arthritis Foundation. https://www.arthritis.org/Documents/Sections/About-Arthritis/arthritis-facts-stats-figures.pdf. Accessed 12 March 2018.

Your Contact
Brenda Mulligan  +1 (978) 821-5345

SOURCE Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany