Refuse to file letter on NDA for Cladribine Tablets issued to EMD Serono

Dec 1 2009

EMD Serono, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today that it received a refuse to file letter from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the New Drug Application (NDA) for Cladribine Tablets, EMD Serono's proprietary investigational oral formulation of cladribine, as a therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

"The company will work closely with the FDA to fully understand FDA's concerns and define a path forward for a successful resubmission of this application at the earliest point in time," said Elmar Schnee, Member of the Executive Board Merck KGaA and Head of Pharmaceuticals. "We remain focused on delivering on our promise to transform the way people living with multiple sclerosis approach their therapy options."

Based on current regulations, once a NDA is submitted to the FDA, the Agency has 60 days to preliminarily review the NDA submission and assess whether the NDA is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. If it determines that the NDA is not sufficiently complete, the FDA issues a refuse to file letter to the applicant. EMD Serono plans to request a meeting with the FDA as soon as possible to discuss its comments on the NDA submission and to reach an understanding on what would be required for the Cladribine Tablets NDA to be accepted for review.