Merck & Co updates on telcagepant and drops MK-2003 program

US drug major Merck & Co has updated the status of the clinical development programs for telcagepant (MK-0974) and MK-3207, the company's investigational oral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonists for the intermittent treatment of acute migraine. The drugmaker provided this update in conjunction with poster presentations of new data from two Phase III clinical studies of telcagepant at the 14th International Headache Congress.

Merck is currently reviewing available clinical data for telcagepant, which is currently in Phase III of clinical development, in preparation for discussions that the company plans to have with regulatory agencies later this year.

Separately, Merck is discontinuing the clinical development program for potential migrainae drug MK-3207, its other investigational CGRP receptor antagonist, and will not start confirmatory Phase IIb/III studies. While efficacy was demonstrated in a Phase II study with MK-3207, some subjects in extended Phase I clinical pharmacology studies were found to have experienced delayed, asymptomatic liver test abnormalities, generally following discontinuation of drug administration. This information led to the decision to discontinue development of MK-3207.

"Merck believes that the blocking of CGRP receptors remains an exciting pathway to address the underlying pathophysiology of migraine," said David Michelson, vice president of clinical neurosciences, Merck Research Laboratories. "We are continuing our efforts to offer patients a new treatment approach,' he added.