Merck's letermovir meets goal in Phase III CMV trial

19 October 2016

US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) reports that the pivotal Phase III clinical study of letermovir, an investigational antiviral medicine, met its primary endpoint.

The global, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy and safety of letermovir for the prevention of clinically-significant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in adult (18 years and older) CMV-seropositive recipients of an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Merck will submit results from the study for presentation at a future scientific conference.

The trial results are a boost for Merck, given that rival Chimerix saw a Phase III study fail for its antiviral brincidofovir last year.

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