Merck - IMPROVE IT update - Appears trending favorably
Today, Merck announced that the Data Safety Monitoring Board has given a go-ahead signal to the IMPROVE-IT after it conducted a pre-specified second interim efficacy analysis of the study (completion of 75% of the events). The DSMB will review the data again in the next nine months. We see the go-ahead signal as positive, as it is reassuring of the safety profile of Vytorin. Futility is not a pre-decided criterion for early discontinuation of the trial, hence in that context the decision of DSMB to review the data in the next nine months may be indicative of their expectation that the trial would reach statistical significance by then. The company has also indicated that the projected completion of IMPROVE IT by 2013 may change.
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