Odanacatib meets Phase III endpoints

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) said odanacatib met the primary endpoints compared to placebo in a Phase III trial to treat osteoporosis. As a result, the company will close the trial early. The pharma said the study's DMC recommended stopping the trial early due to the "robust" efficacy in reducing fracture risk and a favorable benefit-risk profile of the compound. According to clinicaltrials.gov, the primary endpoints in the trial are the proportion of patients with a morphometrically-assessed vertebral fracture, time to first hip fracture, time to first clinical non-vertebral fracture and volumetric bone mineral density at the lumbar spine. ...