Merck Serono has combined its drugs for treating diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and thyroid disorders in the CardioMetabolic Care business unit. In recent years, the understanding of the interrelationships that exist between hypertension, diabetes and thyroid disorders has steadily improved. Merck Serono offers physicians and patients the possibility to more effectively treat an often complex clinical picture by using an integrated therapeutic approach. Sales in the CardioMetabolic Care business unit increased by 7.0% to €829 million, mainly thanks to the strong growth of the Concor® family of beta-blockers and Euthyrox® for thyroid disorders. Merck Serono announced in July that it would transfer the rights to Niaspan® to Abbott, which acquired the original licensee Kos Pharmaceuticals.
Bisoprolol is the leading beta-blocker in Europe
Sales of bisoprolol, the active ingredient of the beta-blocker Concor® product family, rose by 9.0% to €379 million in 2007. The bisoprolol franchise thus remained the top-selling product group in CardioMetabolic Care. Nearly 75% of sales were generated in Europe, where bisoprolol is the leading beta-blocker in terms of sales. The increase in sales of the Concor® family was due mainly to branded products, which developed very well and posted a 10% increase in sales. In particular, Concor®COR for the treatment of chronic heart failure delivered a stellar performance with growth of 20%. Concor® also recorded good growth of 6.5%. This was due primarily to higher sales in regions such as Latin America, Asia, Africa and Australasia, and Europe, where the new Concor® indication to treat heart failure contributed substantially to growth.
Metformin remains the gold standard in diabetes treatment
Around six million patients worldwide in over 100 countries are benefiting from a product from the Merck Serono portfolio of oral diabetes therapies based on metformin. According to the guidelines of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes should be treated immediately with metformin (for example Glucophage®). Metformin continues to be the drug of choice for first-line therapy of type 2 diabetes.
Despite strong competition from generics, sales of the metformin group rose by 6.6% to €266 million, with Europe accounting for nearly one-half of this amount. While sales of metformin to third parties continued to decline, the branded products from the Glucophage® family generated a respectable 8.7% increase in sales. The more advanced products such as Glucovance® (combination of metformin and glibenclamide) as well as Glucophage® XR (once-daily formulation) performed especially well: Sales of Glucovance® increased by 13% while those of Glucophage® XR more than doubled.
Thyroid hormone Euthyrox® registers 11% increase in sales
Thyroid disorders are among the most prevalent conditions worldwide. According to epidemiological data, more than 200 million people suffer from hypothyroidism, i.e. underactivity of the thyroid gland, and only 20% of them are currently being treated. With drugs to treat hypo- and hyperthyroidism as well as to prevent iodine deficiency diseases, Merck Serono is the second-largest supplier worldwide. In Europe and Latin America, the division is number one. Sales increased by 8.0% to €136 million in 2007. Nearly two-thirds of sales were attributable to Europe. Sales of the thyroid hormone Euthyrox®, which is available in more than 70 countries, grew by 11% to €115 million. Around 11 million patients in more than 70 countries are treated with Euthyrox®. At the end of July, three additional dosage strengths of Euthyrox® were launched in Germany.
Products for other therapeutic areas
The Women’s Health business is managed by Théramex, a Merck subsidiary in Monaco. With the establishment of the Merck Serono division, Théramex was integrated into the local French country organization. Synergies with the Fertility business unit are being utilized, for example in the co-promotion of Gonal-f®, which began in 2007. The market environment for products to treat menopause complaints remained difficult in 2007. However, in several countries, the market – especially for transdermal estrogens and natural progestins – has stabilized noticeably.
Sales amounted to €110 million. In France, the most important market, market share increased slightly to 30%. In March 2007, Merck Serono announced plans to terminate production in Monaco by April 2009.
Interesting niche products such as the alcohol-dependency treatment Campral® and Cyanokit®, a life-saving treatment for cyanide poisoning, round off the Merck Serono portfolio. Sales of Campral® totaled €36 million in 2007. Cyanokit® (active ingredient: hydroxocobalamine) was approved in Japan in September 2007 and by the European Commission in November 2007 to treat cyanide poisoning.
