Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today provided an update on the development program for MK-8931, a novel investigational oral β-amyloid precursor protein site-cleaving enzyme (BACE) inhibitor. The Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) for the Phase II/III "EPOCH" study in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease recently completed its planned interim safety analysis and recommended that the trial continue to recruit patients, with no changes to the protocol.
The DMC recommendation was made following a planned analysis of interim safety data that included a safety cohort of 200 patients treated with MK-8931 for at least 3 months. Based upon the DMC's recommendations, Merck will continue enrollment of the EPOCH study. In addition, Merck will initiate dosing in a new Phase III study (APECS study) evaluating MK-8931 in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease, also known as prodromal Alzheimer's disease.
"We are pleased to receive the DMC's recommendation and look forward to continuing the clinical development program for MK-8931," said Dr. David Michelson, vice president, Neuroscience, Merck Research Laboratories. "Studies to evaluate potential new treatment options are critical as the global health and financial burden of Alzheimer's disease grows."
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