Merck Announces Positive Results for Its Investigational Chronic Cough Treatment

Merck's (NYSE: MRK) shareholders got some good news today. In addition to seeing the company's shares climb by about 5.3% -- as the broader stock market rebounded a bit after a disastrous start of the week -- Merck announced positive results from two phase 3 clinical trials. The trials in question -- dubbed COUGH-1 and COUGH-2 -- investigated the efficacy of Gefapixant, an orally administered drug, as a treatment for refractory or unexplained chronic cough.

Patients who took 45 milligrams of Gefapixant twice a day experienced a statistically significant decrease in their "average hourly cough frequency" after 12 weeks (which constituted the COUGH-1 clinical trial) and 24 weeks (which constituted the COUGH-2 clinical trial) compared to those who took a placebo. It is also worth noting that a third group of patients, those who took 15 milligrams of Gefapixant twice a day, did not experience a statistically significant decrease in their average hourly cough frequency.

The pharma giant said the clinical trials would continue for "long-term follow-up" as it collects additional data.

Source Fool.com