Merck KGaA completes enrollment in late-stage trial for Parkinson's disease drug

DARMSTADT, Germany — Merck KGaA has finished enrolling patients in a late-stage clinical study of a drug for Parkinson's disease, the German drug maker said.



Merck KGaA, which is a separate company from U.S.-based Merck & Co. and operates in the United States under the name EMD, said 549 patients with mid- to late-stage Parkinson's had enrolled in the phase-3 "SETTLE" study of safinamide. The study is designed to evaluate the drug's safety and efficacy as an add-on therapy to levodopa, a common treatment for Parkinson's.



The study is part of a broader program for the drug and will last for six months.