New analysis shows that patients with Type 2 diabetes and mild renal impairment had similar improvement in blood sugar control and experienced less hypoglycemia with JANUVIA (sitagliptin) compared to

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., June 22, 2013 – Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced results from a post-hoc pooled analysis showing patients with type 2 diabetes and mild renal impairment treated with JANUVIA® (sitagliptin) 100 mg once-daily achieved similar blood sugar reductions as those treated with the sulfonylureas glipizide or glimepiride, with significantly fewer events of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), and with weight loss instead of weight gain. Results were presented at the American Diabetes Association 73rd Scientific Sessions.

"Chronic renal disease is, unfortunately, an increasingly common problem in patients with type 2 diabetes—and one which can complicate physicians' management of their patients' blood sugar control," said Peter Stein, vice president of Clinical Research for diabetes and endocrinology, Merck Research Laboratories. "Treatments which can help patients with diabetes and renal insufficiency get to improved glycemic control, without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia, may be very useful."

Patients taking JANUVIA 100 mg once-daily achieved similar blood sugar reductions (-0.62 LS mean A1Ci reduction from a baseline of 7.6%) as patients taking a sulfonylurea (-0.68 LS mean A1C reduction from a baseline of 7.6%).

Of the patients taking JANUVIA® (sitagliptin), 6.8 percent experienced one or more episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia, compared to 26.2 percent of patients taking a sulfonylurea (p END