Merck KGaA drops Parkinson's drug after trial failure

Merck KGaA's Parkinson's program was dealt a severe blow when it announced that it would halt development of Sarizotan after a Phase III trial failed to confirm earlier data on the drug's efficacy. The German developer had hoped the drug would treat the spasmodic jerks Parkinson's patients suffer from. But in a short statement the developer said that the drug had not panned out in a late-stage trial and that it would halt any further work on the drug. The news sliced slightly more than five percent off its stock price. These are disappointing days for Merck KGaA, which lost out in the bidding war for Schering AG.

- here's the AP report on Merck KGaA

PLUS: More importantly in the long-run, scientists say they appear to have found the cause for Parkinson's. Report