Merck’s investigational Timothy grass allergy tablet reduced symptoms in Phase III study

12 November 2013

US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) has published positive results for its investigational Timothy grass sublingual allergy immunotherapy tablet (MK-7243) from a study involving adult and pediatric patients.

The product is licensed to Merck for North America by Danish firm ALK Abello (ALKB: DC) under a potential $250 million deal, and is marketed as Grazax in Europe, where it was first approved in 2006.

Results showed that MK-7243 demonstrated significant improvement over the entire grass pollen season compared to placebo. Merck's Timothy grass sublingual allergy immunotherapy tablet is an investigational once-daily tablet that dissolves under the tongue and is designed to help treat the underlying cause of allergic rhinitis by generating an immune response to help protect patients against Timothy grass pollen. Researchers will present findings at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting this week in Baltimore, USA.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK