Merck eye drug launched in U.K., Spain

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. - Merck & Co. said today that it launched the eye pressure drug Saflutan in the United Kingdom and Spain.

Saflutan is intended to treat elevated pressure inside the eye in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma - the most common type of glaucoma and ocular hypertension. Merck licensed the drug from Santen Pharmaceutical Co. of Japan and is running late-stage clinical testing in the United States.

Merck, which has major operations in Montgomery County, owns the rights to Saflutan in the Americas, Africa, and all Western European countries except Germany. Santen owns the rights in most of Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Merck will help promote the drug in Germany and Poland, and if Saflutan is approved in the United States, Santen will have the option to co-promote it.

The drug is also marketed as Taflotan and Tapros. Merck licensed the drug in April, and at the time it had been approved in 11 countries, mostly in Europe. Merck said it expects to start selling the drug in other European countries over the next few months.

In early-afternoon trading, Merck stock fell 63 cents to $30.18.