Merck Korea’s Biopharma said it plans to launch Pergoveris Pen, a safer and easier self-administering infertility treatment, from Friday.
A pre-filled pen type, the newly launched Pergoveris Pen offers a significant improvement in convenience from the existing product that requires users to mix powder and liquid on their own.
They can also self-administer the drug without having to change the needles, which reduces the risk of foreign body infections. The therapy also offers better effects with personalized treatment thanks to dose fine-tuning with 12.5 IU increments compared to the existing vial products.
The treatment is the world’s first combined therapy of recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone -- recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (r-hFSH) or follitropin alfa 150 IU -- and recombinant human luteinizing hormone -- recombinant human luteinizing hormone (r-hLH) or lutropin alfa 75 IU – that stimulates the development of follicles.
As the drug contains both FSH and luteinizing hormone (LH), it can be used for people who have severe infertility and are deficient in both of the hormones. It has shown an excellent rate of pregnancy in a clinical trial compared to a control group.
Unlike infertility treatment with hormones derived from the urine of postmenopausal women, the state-of-the-art recombinant technology virtually eliminated batch-to-batch variation.
“Containing both FSH and LH, which are extremely crucial in achieving pregnancy, Pergoveris has been used as an important treatment option for patients with severe infertility in Korea,” Maria S Fertility Hospital Director Heo Chang-yeong said. “Still, some patients experienced the fear of needles and had concerns about correct dosing as they had to mix the powder and liquid on their own before administration.”
Pergoveris Pen is expected to improve patient convenience and satisfaction significantly, he noted.
“As the age limit for infertility treatment was abolished from July this year with more sessions covered by the insurance, people can start the treatment sooner, and many more can expect to see good results,” Heo added.
Merck Biopharma Korea General Manager Javed Alam also said, “The launch of our new Pergoveris Pen is a step toward fulfilling our commitment to improving treatment outcomes for couples aspiring to become parents.
The company will continuously strive to innovate its products for the benefit of patients, and the new Pergoveris Pen enables it to provide women and couples with an improved patient experience during their treatment, he added.