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Mixed Data For Merck KGaA's Disease-Modifying OA Drug

German firm looking to partner sprifermin

 
• By Kevin Grogan

Sprifermin could be the first drug to affect the underlying disease process in osteoarthritis but data show no significant improvement in symptoms.

Knee_Pain
10% of Americans over 60 years experience knee pain related to OA • Source: Shutterstock

No drugs are currently approved to treat the underlying cause of osteoarthritis but Merck KGaA is hoping that sprifermin, which has shown promise in mid-stage trials, could be the first disease-modifying therapy for the disabling condition.

The German group's hopes are based on results from FORWARD, a five-year, Phase II study of sprifermin, a recombinant human fibroblast growth factor-18, in patients with symptomatic radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA)

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