Merck's Remigromig Shows Promise in Diabetic Macular Edema Trial

Merck announced top-line results from the pivotal Phase 2b/3 BRUNELLO trial evaluating its investigational treatment, remigromig (MK-3000), for diabetic macular edema (DME).

The trial demonstrated non-inferiority to active control ranibizumab for mean change from baseline in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at week 52. Remigromig is a tetravalent, tri-specific antibody designed to activate the Wnt pathway, which is involved in the repair and maintenance of the blood-retinal-barrier.

The company reported that both doses of remigromig (0.5 mg and 0.8 mg) were generally well-tolerated, but observed higher rates of proliferative diabetic retinopathy, vitreous hemorrhage, and treatment discontinuations due to adverse events compared with ranibizumab.

The results will be presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting in New Orleans on October 10. Merck's ophthalmology pipeline aims to address specific retinal diseases associated with vascular leakage and neovascularization, including DME, neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD), and macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO).