Merck Serono: New Phase III Data for Cladribine Tablets to be Presented at the American Academy of Neurology 61st Annual Meeting in April 2009

September 29th, 2009 GENEVA - Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Cladribine Tablets, Merck Serono's proprietary investigational oral formulation of cladribine, as a therapy for reducing relapses in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Cladribine Tablets has the potential to be the first orally administered disease-modifying therapy available for people living with relapsing MS, as all disease-modifying therapies currently approved for the treatment of MS are parenteral therapies.

September 10th, 2009 DÜSSELDORF, Germany and GENEVA - - Post-hoc Analysis From CLARITY Study Show That Short-Course Oral Treatment With Cladribine Tablets Significantly Increased the Proportion of Patients who had Absence of Disease Activity Compared With Placebo Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced new data from a post-hoc analysis of the two-year (96-week) placebo-controlled CLARITY(1) Phase III trial using a short-course of Cladribine Tablets (Merck Serono's proprietary investigational oral formulation of cladribine) to treat patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). The data from this post-hoc analysis of the CLARITY study were presented at the 25th congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Düsseldorf, Germany.(2) These data show that over two years of study, 43% and 44% of patients treated with Cladribine Tablets (total dose of 3.5 mg/kg and 5.25 mg/kg respectively) had absence of disease activity, compared with 16% of patients who received placebo (p

July 22nd, 2009 GENEVA, Switzerland - Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today the submission of a marketing authorization application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for Cladribine Tablets, Merck Serono's proprietary investigational oral formulation of cladribine, as a therapy for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). Cladribine Tablets could become the first orally administered disease-modifying therapy available for patients with MS, as all disease-modifying therapies currently approved for the treatment of MS are injectable.

June 30th, 2009 GENEVA, Switzerland - - Global Fertility Academy Delivers Valuable Educational Tools Aiming at Increasing Expertise and Maximizing the Success Rate of Treatment - Web-based e-Learning Modules Complemented by Individualized Practical Training Sessions at Leading Fertility Centers Worldwide Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today the launch of the Global Fertility Academy, the first global professional educational program in fertility run by worldwide leading experts in this area.(1) Specifically developed for physicians active in treating infertility, such as reproductive endocrinologists, obstetricians/gynecologists and embryologists, the Global Fertility Academy aims at improving their knowledge of clinical standards in fertility and maximizing the success rates of treatment by providing valuable educational tools and sharing best practices. The Global Fertility Academy is available to healthcare professionals outside of the United States and Great Britain.

June 21st, 2009 MILAN, Italy and GENEVA, Switzerland - The Effect of Short-course Oral Treatment With Cladribine Tablets on Annualized Relapse Rate was Significant as Early as 12 Weeks After Initiation of Treatment and Sustained Through to the 96 Weeks of the Study Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today new data from post-hoc analyses of the 2-year (96-week) placebo-controlled CLARITYa Phase III trial using Cladribine Tablets (Merck Serono's proprietary investigational oral formulation of cladribine) to treat patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. These data show that short-course oral treatment with Cladribine Tablets resulted in rapid and sustained improvements in clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes, which were accompanied by rapid and sustained effects on blood-cell subtypes implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis.

June 2nd, 2009 GENEVA, Switzerland - Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and its partner Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. (SWX: NWRN) announced today that detailed results of the first Phase III clinical trial of safinamide as adjunctive treatment in mid- to late-stage Parkinson's disease (PD) (Study 016) will be presented at the Movement Disorder Society's 13th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders to be held in Paris, France, from June 7-11, 2009.

May 17th, 2009 GENEVA, Switzerland - Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, confirms its commitment to investing in the therapeutic area of fertility, after Merck KGaA informed earlier today the Oslo Stock Exchange of its withdrawal of the voluntary cash tender offer for MediCult A/S, a leader in Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), as the required share threshold was not reached in the set timeframe. "Merck Serono has a proud heritage of leadership in the field of fertility and will actively pursue opportunities that will contribute to bring further innovation to physicians and patients, and increase the success rate of fertility treatments," said Dr.

April 29th, 2009 SEATTLE and GENEVA - Primary Endpoint met With a Significant Reduction in Relapse Rate - Secondary Endpoints met Including MRI Measures, Proportion of Patients Relapse-Free and Disability Progression - Submission for Registration of Cladribine Tablets Planned for mid-2009 Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, announced today detailed results of the two-year (96-week) placebo-controlled CLARITY(1) Phase III trial using Cladribine Tablets (Merck Serono's proprietary investigational oral formulation of cladribine) to treat patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). The results of the pivotal trial show that annual short-course treatment with Cladribine Tablets led to a significant reduction in the rate of clinical relapses, disability progression and brain lesions, as well as a significant increase in the proportion of patients who remained relapse-free.

April 29th, 2009 LONDON - LONDON, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the embargoed news released by the Queen Mary University of London concerning the oral MS drug cladribine and the results due to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology meeting, please find below a statement from the MS Society. Dr Lee Dunster, Head of Research at the MS Society, said: "These are remarkable results and being able to take a tablet instead of having injections will be a huge step forward for people with MS.

March 22nd, 2009 GENEVA, Switzerland - New Venture Capital Fund Will Invest in Biotech Start-up Companies Focused on Merck Serono's Core Therapeutic Areas Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today the formation of 'Merck Serono Ventures', a strategic, corporate venture capital fund to invest in emerging biotechnology companies. The fund will support biotech start-up companies that have the potential to provide innovative products in Merck Serono's core therapeutic areas, in particular in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Oncology and Autoimmune & Inflammatory Diseases.

July 24th, 2009 Merck Q2 net profit falls 48 percent to euro109 MFRANKFURT — German drug and chemical maker Merck KGaA said Friday its second quarter net profit fell 48 percent as higher research costs and one-time effects from the acquisition of Serono weighed on the bottom line. The Darmstadt-based company reported a net profit of euro108 million ($153 million) in the April-June period compared with euro207 million a year earlier.

August 7th, 2009 Schering-Plough shareholders OK purchase by MerckTRENTON, N.J. — Shareholders of drugmaker Schering-Plough almost unanimously support being bought by bigger New Jersey neighbor Merck.

April 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The last day for filing of nominations for the fourth phase of the ongoing parliamentary elections concluded on Saturday. Elections for the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held for 85 seats on May 7, 2009.

June 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Half of mini-strokes lead to major stroke within 24 hours of the first event, a new research has found. The research has been published in the June 2, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

April 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers have found a potential target for developing new treatment for acute migraine attacks. The new research by Addex Pharmaceuticals showed that targeting glutamate receptor 'mGluR5', the most common neurotransmitter in the brain, could prevent migraines.

June 22nd, 2009 FTC requests more info from Merck, Schering-PloughNEW YORK — Drugmakers Merck and Co. and Schering-Plough Corp., which are in the process of a $41.1 billion tie-up, said Monday the Federal Trade Commission has asked for more information about the deal.

July 9th, 2009 Merck, Portola in $420M deal for anticlotting drugWHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck & Co.

April 27th, 2009 Merck 1Q net profit falls 76 percentFRANKFURT — German pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck KGaA said Monday that its first-quarter net profit dropped by 76 percent as demand for chemicals in particular declined. Darmstadt-based Merck said net profit for the January-March quarter fell to euro57 million ($75 million) from euro239 million a year earlier.

August 31st, 2009 Merck to form 5 divisions after Schering buyoutNEW YORK — Richard T. Clark, current president and CEO of Merck, says the company will restructure into five divisions after it completes the buyout of rival Schering-Plough for $41.1 billion.

April 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - A total of 74 nominations have been filed for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in 17 of the 42 constituencies of West Bengal till Thursday. The maximum nominations - seven - have been received for the Krishnanagar and Uluberia seats, while only one candidate each filed papers for the Kanthi and Asansol seats.