In recent years, landmark clinical trials conducted by our research labs have demonstrated numerous lifesaving benefits of our products.

In the landmark LIIFE trial, once daily COZAAR significantly reduced the risk of stroke
Regulators approved another new indication for Merck's antihypertensive drug COZAAR® (losartan potassium tablets). The new label states that COZAAR is indicated to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). No angiotensin II receptor blocker other than COZAAR is indicated to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with hypertension and LVH.

Life-saving benefits of ZOCOR demonstrated in new study
Regulators approved changes to the prescribing information for ZOCOR® (simvastatin) to include results from the landmark Heart Protection Study with ZOCOR 40 mg, the largest cholesterol-treatment study ever conducted. ZOCOR 40 mg is the first and only cholesterol-lowering medication proven to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with heart disease or diabetes regardless of cholesterol level.

HIV vaccine candidates from Merck and Aventis used together generate encouraging anti-HIV immune response in monkeys
A combination of two anti-HIV-1 vaccine candidates developed by Aventis Pasteur, a subsidiary of Aventis, and MSD, elicited levels of a cellular immune response against HIV-1 infection in monkeys that were higher than the levels observed in the vaccine candidates separately. As a result, scientists from both companies are planning a joint human study.

Clinical trials offer patients the opportunity to benefit from the latest treatments at no cost while testing the safety and efficacy of new medicines. Protection of patient safety as well as privacy, are the overriding concerns in the design of clinical trials.

We are currently undertaking 49 clinical trials, involving 138 sites around Australia. One of the most promising studies is research into a vaccine for the Human Papilloma virus, associated with 93% of cervical cancer cases and 400,000 deaths worldwide every year.

We are committed to designing, implementing, conducting, analyzing and reporting these studies in compliance with the highest ethical and scientific standards.

Our research laboratories design and conduct clinical trials in collaboration with external clinical investigators. These studies provide the safety and efficacy data required for regulatory approval of our potential new drugs and vaccines. They also uncover new indications for existing products. Whenever applicable, the results of these studies are published in the world's leading medical journals.

The clinical pharmacology and research departments are organized by therapeutic area and work closely with our subsidiaries and academic investigators worldwide when conducting international trials. Clinical researchers are integral members of project teams and interact with all disciplines involved in drug development, including Biology, Chemistry, Biostatistics, Drug Metabolism, Pharmaceutical Research & Development, Epidemiology, Regulatory Affairs, and Marketing.