Merck & Co., Inc., which operates outside the US and Canada as MSD, announced the European Commission (EC) approval of Elonva (corifollitropin alfa injection). Elonva is indicated for controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) in combination with a GnRH antagonist for the development of multiple follicles in women participating in an assisted reproductive technology (ART) programme. With the EC approval, Merck receives marketing authorization for Elonva with unified labelling valid in all European Union Member States. Schering-Plough Corp. and Merck & Co., Inc. merged on November 3, 2009.
Elonva is the first sustained follicle stimulant. Due to its ability to initiate and sustain multiple follicular growth for an entire week, a single subcutaneous injection of the recommended dose of Elonva may replace the first seven injections of any conventional daily recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH) preparation in a COS treatment cycle.
"The European approval of Elonva is a positive step towards reducing the burden of injections for women experiencing difficulty conceiving," said Mirjam Mol-Arts, senior vice president, Merck Research Laboratories. "Merck is proud of the company's women's health portfolio and is committed to providing effective patient-focused fertility treatments."
The phase III development programme for Elonva included the Engage trial, the largest double-blind fertility agent trial in IVF performed to date. In the Engage trial, the ongoing pregnancy rate, the primary endpoint, obtained in the Elonva treatment arm (38.9 per cent per started cycle) was similar to that achieved in patients receiving a daily dose of rFSH (38.1 per cent per started cycle).
The most frequently reported adverse drug reactions during treatment with Elonva in clinical trials are Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) (5.2%), pelvic pain (4.1%) and discomfort (5.5%), headache (3.2%), nausea (1.7%), fatigue (1.4%) and breast complaints (including tenderness) (1.2%). Use with GnRH agonists is not recommended.
Elonva is approved for COS in combination with a GnRH antagonist for the development of multiple follicles in women participating in an ART programme. Elonva is designed as a sustained follicle stimulant with the same pharmacodynamic profile as rFSH, but with a markedly prolonged duration of FSH activity. Due to its ability to initiate and sustain multiple follicular growth for an entire week, a single subcutaneous injection of the recommended dose of Elonva may replace the first seven injections of any daily rFSH preparation in a COS treatment cycle.
Engage was a non-inferiority trial designed to compare Elonva 150 mcg to 200 IU rFSH. A total of 1,506 patients (with a body weight greater than 60 kg) at 34 in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics in North America and Europe were randomized to start stimulation with either Elonva 150 mcg or a daily dose of 200 IU rFSH for seven days. Patients also received rFSH (maximum 200 IU/day) from stimulation day eight onward, when required. Starting on stimulation day five, all patients received 0.25mg gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist until triggering of final oocyte maturation by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The primary endpoint was the ongoing pregnancy rate assessed at ten weeks or more after embryo transfer. In the Elonva treatment arm the ongoing pregnancy rate (38.9 percent per started cycle) was similar to that achieved in patients receiving a daily dose of rFSH (38.1 per cent per started cycle).
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