Featured Company News - Merck to Present Latest Data on ZEPATIER for Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection at The Liver Meeting 2017

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / October 5, 2017 / Pro-Trader Daily takes a look at the latest corporate events and news making the headlines for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) ("Merck"), following which we have published a free report that can be viewed by signing up at http://protraderdaily.com/optin/?symbol=MRK. The Company announced on October 03, 2017, that it would present new data from its chronic hepatitis C clinical development programs and real-world studies at The Liver Meeting® 2017. For immediate access to our complimentary reports, including today's coverage, register for free now at:

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Merck plans to present the latest analyses of ZEPATIER (elbasvir and grazoprevir) in real-world scenario, and follow-up analyses from Phase-3 clinical trials, including results from the C-EDGE CO-STAR three-year observational follow-up study assessing chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) reinfection incidence and risk behaviors in patients who were treated with ZEPATIER while on opioid agonist therapy.

About ZEPATIER

ZEPATIER is a fixed-dose combination product that contains elbasvir, a HCV NS5A inhibitor, and grazoprevir, an HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitor. In the US, it has already been recommended for the treatment of chronic HCV GT1 or 4 infection in adults. Besides, ZEPATIER is also recommended for use with ribavirin (RBV) in certain patient populations. However, it has not been indicated for the treatment of chronic HCV GT3 or GT6 infections. The US Prescribing Information for ZEPATIER comprises a Boxed Warning about the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in patients co-infected with HCV and HBV.

As of now, ZEPATIER has been approved in more than 17 countries worldwide, including the United States, Canada, the European Union, Switzerland, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Japan, Vietnam, Georgia, Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Taiwan, Egypt, Bahrain, and Argentina, while some additional regulatory approvals are anticipated.

Data Analysis for Real Word Application

Dr. Michael Robertson, Executive Director of Clinical Research, at Merck Research Laboratories, highlighted that the Company has been a leader in chronic hepatitis C for over 30 years. So far, Merck's chronic HCV clinical development programs have included over 135 clinical trials in around 40 countries and have enrolled nearly 10,000 participants.

Now that there are several treatments such as ZEPATIER available in the market, the Company's focus is more on understanding their application in the real world. Analysis of data from patients treated with ZEPATIER around the world offers critical insights that may help inform elimination efforts, mainly for difficult-to-treat populations.

Presentations at The International Liver Congress 2017

The Liver Meeting® 2017 will take place in Washington, D.C. from October 20, 2017, to October 24, 2017.

For ZEPATIER 50mg/100mg tablets

Data to be presented on Saturday, October 21, 2017

• Results from the veterans' affairs system - Effectiveness of elbasvir/grazoprevir in patients with chronic Hepatitis C and chronic kidney disease.

• A post hoc analysis of 11 clinical trials - A practical approach to enhancing the efficacy of elbasvir/grazoprevir using baseline viral load in participants with Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1a infection.

• Retrospective data analyses from the Trio Network - Impact of treatment duration and Ribavirin addition on real-world effectiveness of elbasvir/grazoprevir in select patient subgroups with Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C.

• Real-world cost-effectiveness of elbasvir/grazoprevir in Treatment-Naive patients with Chronic Hepatitis C virus Genotype 1 in the United States.

Data to be presented on Sunday, October 22, 2017

• An integrated analysis of data from 11 Phases-2/3 Trials - Safety and efficacy of elbasvir/grazoprevir in Asian participants with Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes 1 and 4 Infection.

• Results from the German Hepatitis C Registry (DHC-R) - Co-Morbidities and clinically relevant drug-drug interactions in patients undergoing treatment of Chronic HCV Genotype 1 Infection with elbasvir /grazoprevir.

• Utilization and effectiveness of elbasvir/grazoprevir in Treatment-Naive Genotype 1a Chronic Hepatitis C Virus patients' with/without Baseline NS5A Resistance-Associated Substitutions.

• An integrated analysis of twelve clinical trials - Safety and efficacy of elbasvir/grazoprevir in Hepatitis C Virus GT1- and GT4-infected participants 65 years and older.

Data to be presented on Monday, October 23, 2017

• Co-STAR Part B - Hepatitis C Virus reinfection and injecting risk behavior following elbasvir/grazoprevir treatment in participants on Opiate Agonist Therapy.

Additional Studies of Note

Data to be presented on Saturday, October 21, 2017

• A mathematical model using data from the C-EDGE CO-STAR Study - Epidemiologic impact of expanding chronic Hepatitis C treatment in People who Inject Drug (PWID) in the United States.

• Economic burden of Chronic Hepatitis C in Medicaid and commercially insured patients in the United States.

• The C-SCOPE Study - Perceived barriers related to the management of HCV infections among physicians prescribing Opioid Agonist Therapy.

Last Close Stock Review

Merck's share price finished yesterday's trading session at $64.60, marginally up 0.36%. A total volume of 6.41 million shares have exchanged hands. The Company's stock price advanced 2.38% in the last three months, 1.62% in the past six months, and 3.43% in the previous twelve months. Additionally, the stock gained 9.73% since the start of the year. Shares of the Company have a PE ratio of 35.19 and have a dividend yield of 2.91%. The stock currently has a market cap of $176.90 billion.

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