MERCK PRESENTS DATA ON JANUVIA COMBINED WITH METFORMIN

Preliminary data presented by Merck at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, demonstrated a significant mean placebo-subtracted reduction in A1C of 2.1 percent from a mean baseline A1C of 8.8 percent with Januvia (sitagliptin phosphate) 50 mg twice daily and metformin 1,000 mg twice daily in patients off therapy at randomization. This Phase III study included another arm with Januvia and a lower dose of metformin and also monotherapy and placebo arms, and full results will be presented later this year.

In other Phase III studies, Januvia was administered once daily as monotherapy or add-on treatment. This new 24-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated simultaneous treatment of Januvia with metformin and the use of both agents as monotherapy in 1,056 untreated patients with Type 2 diabetes. In patients with moderately elevated baseline A1C levels , simultaneous treatment of Januvia and metformin showed significant mean placebo-subtracted reductions in A1C of 2.1 percent. In addition, treatment with Januvia and metformin led to two-thirds of patients achieving goal A1C levels of less than 7 percent compared with patients on metformin alone.

Simultaneous treatment with Januvia and metformin was generally well-tolerated and showed no meaningful differences in tolerability compared with metformin alone.