EMD Serono statement on Rebif® (interferon beta-1a) contribution to the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for the ACTT 3 trial

COMPANY STATEMENT August 5, 2020 -- As part of the global effort to investigate potential COVID-19 therapeutics and our support of independent research, EMD Serono is collaborating with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), by contributing 3,000 units of Rebif® (subcutaneous interferon beta-1a) for the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial 3 (ACTT 3), which is enrolling hospitalized adults with COVID-19 in the United States and in other countries. The NIAID-led study is evaluating treatment with Rebif® in combination with remdesivir compared with remdesivir alone, in over 1,000 hospitalized adults diagnosed with COVID-19 and will evaluate time to recovery in the combination therapy group relative to the remdesivir-only group. This contribution complements our previously announced donation of up to 300,000 units of Rebif® to the international trials sponsored by the French INSERM institute (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale) and the World Health Organization (DisCoVery and SOLIDARITY). Rebif® is indicated for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). To date, Rebif® is not approved by any regulatory authority for the treatment of COVID-19 or for use as an antiviral agent. As a company dedicated to human progress and to making a lasting difference on patients’ lives, EMD Serono, the North America biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is fully committed to contributing to solutions related to global health crises such as COVID-19. We continue to work closely with health authorities to respond to the needs of patients impacted by COVID-19. For additional information on this trial please visit https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/nih-clinical-trial-testing-remdesivir-plus-interferon-beta-1a-covid-19-treatment-begins.

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