Merck showcases strong new evobrutinib data in patients with RMS

German pharma and life science firm Merck KGaA (MRK: DE) has shared data in an oral presentation from a Phase II post-hoc analysis, demonstrating that the oral, central nervous system (CNS)-penetrant, fully covalent Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) evobrutinib impacted brain lesions associated with chronic inflammation in the CNS.

This makes evobrutinib the first BTKi to show significant reductions in slowly expanding lesions (SEL). SELs are chronic, active, demyelinated multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, which are thought to be an early indicator of disease progression in MS, said Merck, which at its recent Capital Markets Day highlighted the drug as one of its expected growth drivers.

These data were presented at the 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) days after the completion of enrolment into the Phase III EVOLUTION RMS program, in which evobrutinib is being investigated, was announced.