OREANDA-NEWS. Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that more than 40 presentations of data on a number of Merck’s investigational and established infectious disease products are scheduled for the upcoming Interscience Conference of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) and International Congress of Chemotherapy and Infection (ICC) joint meeting in San Diego, Sept. 17-21.

“At Merck we continue to advance a broad portfolio of investigational infectious disease medicines,” said Dr. Eliav Barr, vice president infectious diseases, Merck Research Laboratories. “We look forward to presenting data at ICAAC/ICC with a focus on our antibacterial candidates designed to address serious infections such as C. difficile and the increasing threats presented by resistant Gram-negative bacteria.”

The presentations will include results from two pivotal Phase 3 clinical studies of bezlotoxumab (alone and in combination with actoxumab), an investigational antitoxin for the prevention of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection recurrence in patients on standard C. difficile antibiotic treatment; data from several studies of ZERBAXA™ (ceftolozane and tazobactam), which is indicated for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI); and Phase 2 clinical data evaluating relebactam, the company’s investigational beta-lactamase inhibitor, for the treatment of cIAI. For more information, including a complete list of abstract titles, please visit the ICAAC website at www.icaac.org.

“Merck is one of a few large pharmaceutical companies that have remained deeply committed to developing novel anti-infective therapies,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding, executive vice president, strategic communications, global public policy and population health, Merck. “Today, with increasing concerns about the rise of antimicrobial resistance, we continue to advocate for appropriate and responsible use of these important medicines.”

Dr. Gerberding, along with other global infectious disease leaders, is scheduled to deliver remarks at the ICAAC Antimicrobial Research Award and Lecture on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 1:30 p.m. PDT.

Merck’s commitment to infectious disease

For more than 80 years, Merck has contributed to the discovery and development of novel medicines and vaccines to combat infectious diseases. In addition to a combined portfolio of antibiotic and antifungal medicines, vaccines, and medicines for HIV and HCV, Merck has multiple programs that span discovery through late-stage development. Merck currently has 25 ongoing Phase 2/Phase 3 clinical trials evaluating several candidates for the prevention or treatment of infectious diseases.