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Memantine approved for Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Frankfurt am Main, 21.02.2002

On its meeting 20 February 2002, the Committee of Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) recommended to the EU Commission to approve Memantine for the treatment of moderately severe to severe Alzheimer’s Disease. Marketing authorization covering the EU is expected mid-2002, and Merz will launch Memantine during the second half of 2002.

“We consider this success a major breakthrough for Merz as an innovator in neurology and psychiatry. With Memantine, Merz can now offer a new and unique approach to treat Alzheimer’s Disease,” says Jochen Hueckmann, Chairman and CEO of Merz.

Memantine is the first in a new class of drugs, NMDA receptor antagonists, patented by Merz and demonstrating significant, clinically relevant efficacy in patients with moderately severe to severe Alzheimer’s Disease. Thus, Memantine is expected to fulfill an unmet medical need.

Alzheimer’s Disease affects approximately 5% of the population above 65 years and more than 20% in the age group above 85. Currently less than 50% of the people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease are diagnosed correctly and out of these only 10-30% receive proper treatment with considerable variation between the countries.

“We are convinced that these advanced, most needy patients and their caregivers will benefit from this important progress since no approved treatment has been available for them until now” says Hans J. Moebius, Vice President of R & D and DRA.

Merz has licensed the exclusive rights for Memantine to Forest Laboratories Inc. (NYSE: FRX, www.forestlabs.com) for the United States. H. Lundbeck A/S (www.lundbeck.com) has acquired exclusive rights to a series of European markets as well as Canada, Australia, and South Africa. Under a co-marketing agreement with Lundbeck, Merz retained semi-exclusive rights on the remaining markets worldwide except the US and Japan. For Japan, Memantine is under development by the Merz collaborating partner Suntory Ltd.

Merz Pharma is a privately owned, German researched-based pharmaceutical company with head offices in Frankfurt/M. and therapeutic focus on central nervous system diseases. The Merz group has a turnover of approximately 350 Million EUR and a staff of over 1,700 employees.

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