Merck, Ferring and WHO working together to prevent excessive bleeding in women after childbirth

US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) and privately-held Switzerland-headquartered Ferring Pharmaceuticals have announced their collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to help avoid post-partum hemorrhage, a leading cause of mothers dying in developing countries.

The aim is to advance a new, proprietary formulation of carbetocin, marketed by Ferring as Pabal, and used to prevent excessive bleeding (post-partum hemorrhage) in women after childbirth, that is designed to be stable at room temperature, even in hot and tropical climates (ICH climatic zone IV).

Currently, oxytocin, the standard medicine administered for the prevention of excessive bleeding, is temperature-sensitive and requires sustained cold distribution and storage in hot climates. The WHO will conduct a multi-country clinical study to evaluate the effectiveness of room-temperature-stable carbetocin, compared to oxytocin. The development of a medicine that can be stored at room temperature has the potential to significantly improve management of bleeding following childbirth in the many areas of the world where cold storage is difficult to achieve and maintain, and thereby help reduce maternal deaths in those areas.