Merck and Co., Inc.

    Whitehouse Station, N.J. (ots-PRNewswire) - Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) and probiodrug Gesellschaft fur Arzneimittelforschung mbH, Halle/Saale, Germany announced today that they have signed a licensing  agreement that gives Merck certain exclusive worldwide rights to probiodrug's  proprietary dipeptidyl peptidase "four" (DP IV) inhibitors.  

    Merck plans to use these oral DP IV inhibitors in the development of drugs  for diabetes and related conditions. probiodrug will receive an initial  payment and an equity investment in addition to future payments in the event  drug development milestones are met. Additionally, probiodrug will receive  royalties on any commercialized products.

    DP IV is an enzyme that is intimately involved in the regulation of  peptide hormones, such as GLP-1 and GIP, that trigger glucose-dependent  insulin biosynthesis and secretion. Inhibition of this enzyme in studies of  diabetic animals has been shown to result in improved glucose parameters.  probiodrug developed and studied P32/98, its leading DP IV inhibitor  development candidate, in preclinical and initial clinical studies, including  both healthy volunteers and patients with diabetes.

    "We are convinced by the therapeutic potential of this exciting compound,"  said Dr. Hans-Ulrich Demuth, Managing Director Research and Development of  probiodrug. "This agreement allows Merck to develop antidiabetic drugs using  compounds from probiodrug's DP IV-inhibitor portfolio, and for probiodrug to  focus on developing certain other indications and exploit further antidiabetic  targets."

    "We are pleased to enter into this agreement with probiodrug on a promising new avenue of research," said Dr. Bennett Shapiro, Executive Vice  President, Worldwide Licensing and External Research at Merck Research  Laboratories. "An aggressive new focus on external collaborations, like this  one with probiodrug, is bringing the best science to Merck and broadening our  future new product base."

    Type 2 diabetes -- the most common form of diabetes -- affects about 7-9%  of the world population. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 15 million persons  are affected. It occurs most often in people over age 45, and the prevalence  is increasing. Left untreated, it can lead to serious health complications, including blindness, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and limb  amputation. Diabetes is estimated to cost $98 billion in direct U.S. health  care costs annually.

    probiodrug is a drug development company with proprietary know-how in  structure-function analysis of human regulatory enzymes with broad therapeutic  and preventive potential in metabolic diseases, immunology and CNS disorders.  The company was established in 1997 in Halle/Saale, Germany, by Drs.  Hans-Ulrich Demuth and Konrad Glund.

    Merck & Co, Inc. is a leading research-driven pharmaceutical products and  service company. Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad  range of innovative products to improve human and animal health, directly and  through its joint ventures. Merck-Medco Managed Care manages pharmacy  benefits for employers, insurers and other plan sponsors, encouraging the appropriate use of medicines and providing disease management programs.  Through these complementary capabilities, Merck works to improve quality of  life and contain overall health-care costs.    For further information, contact For probiodrug: Dr. Konrad Glund, CEO/CFO, or  Dr. Hans-Ulrich Demuth, CEO/CSO, www.probiodrug.de; or Dr. Larry Hirsch, VP of  Public Affairs, Merck Research Laboratories, 908-423-4650, or Janet Skidmore, Director of Public Affairs, MRL, 908-423-3046, or Laura Jordan, Senior  Director, Investor Relations, 908-423-5185, all of Merck

ots Original Text Service: Merck & Co., Inc. Internet: http://recherche.newsaktuell.de

Contact: For probiodrug: Dr. Konrad Glund, CEO/CFO, or Dr. Hans-Ulrich  Demuth, CEO/CSO, www.probiodrug.de; or Dr. Larry Hirsch, VP of Public Affairs, Merck Research Laboratories, +1-908-423-4650, or Janet Skidmore, Director of  Public Affairs, MRL, +1-908-423-3046, or Laura Jordan, Senior Director, Investor  Relations, +1-908-423-5185, all of Merck/

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Web site: http://www.probiodrug.de

Web site: http://www.merck.com