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ZEGERID OTC™ PROVIDES GREATER AND FASTER ACID CONTROL THAN
PREVACID® 24HR ACCORDING TO HEAD-TO-HEAD CLINICAL STUDY
-- Greater and More Rapid Acid Reduction Achieved at Full Effect as Measured
on Day 7 --
WHITEHOUSE STATION, NJ, May 4, 2010 – Merck Consumer Care today announced results of a head-to-head clinical study showing that ZEGERID OTC™ offers greater and faster acid control than Prevacid® 24HR. While acid control is an industry standard measure for acid-reducing drugs, greater and faster acid control does not imply greater and faster heartburn symptom relief. The goal of the study was to evaluate the speed and amount of acid reduction when the medications were at full effect, as measured on day seven, which is halfway through the recommended course of treatment. Both products are proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a class of heartburn medication that works by deactivating acid pumps in “Though there are a number of factors that cause heartburn, the level of acid in the stomach is a key contributor to the problem,” explained Dr. Paul Starkey, Worldwide Head, Medical Affairs for Merck Consumer Care. “Controlling acid is an important step in managing Participants in the controlled crossover study received, in a random fashion, once daily dosing of each one of the following for a treatment period of seven days: ZEGERID OTC (omeprazole 20 mg/sodium bicarbonate 1100 mg) capsules, Prevacid® 24HR (15mg lansoprazole) delayed-release capsules, as well as a no treatment control. The study tracked participants’ gastric pH levels. At full effect (as measured on day 7), subjects taking ZEGERID OTC capsules reached a clinically accepted gastric pH level that indicates acid control (pH greater than 3.5) twice as fast as those taking Prevacid® 24HR delayed-release capsules. The ZEGERID OTC patients also maintained this acid control level for a significantly greater portion of the day than those Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2009 for over-the-counter use, ZEGERID OTC (omeprazole 20 mg/sodium bicarbonate 1100 mg) capsules are being marketed over-the-counter by Merck Consumer Care, the consumer healthcare division of Merck & Co., Inc. Under an agreement with Santarus, a specialty biopharmaceutical company that developed and currently markets prescription ZEGERID®, Merck Consumer Care is responsible for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of ZEGERID OTC products for frequent heartburn in the US and Canada. For more information about ZEGERID OTC, please visit www.ZegeridOTC.com. Santarus will continue to manufacture, promote and sell its prescription ZEGERID (omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate) products in both 20 mg and 40 mg dosage strengths in the US. For additional information on prescription ZEGERID, please visit www.Zegerid.com. About Merck Consumer Care
Today's Merck is a global healthcare leader working to help the world be well. Merck Consumer Care, or MSD Consumer Care outside the United States and Canada, is the global consumer products division of Merck & Co, Inc. Each day, millions count on one or more of our brands that help prevent or treat various common conditions. These include some of the world's most-trusted brands such as CLARITIN for allergies, COPPERTONE for sun care, DR. SCHOLL'S for foot care and many more. Merck Consumer Care is committed to continuing its tradition of innovation by developing and delivering new and accessible over-the-counter health solutions to people around the world. Merck. Be well. For more information, visit Forward-Looking Statement
This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the merger between Merck and Schering-Plough, including future financial and operating results, the combined company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Merck’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: the possibility that the expected synergies from the merger of Merck and Schering-Plough will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation; the risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully; disruption from the merger making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; Merck’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; dependence on the effectiveness of Merck’s patents and other protections for innovative products; the risk of new and changing regulation and health policies in the U.S. and internationally and the exposure to litigation and/or regulatory actions. Merck undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Merck’s 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site

Source: http://www.zegeridotc.com/download/Zegerid%20Clinical%20Study%20FINAL%20May%204%202010.pdf