FDA Approves New Indication For Merck & Co., Inc.'s INVANZ(R) For The Treatment Of Moderate To Severe Complicated Foot Infection In Diabetic Patients Without Osteomyelitis

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2005--Merck & Co., Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved INVANZ(R) (ertapenem), a once-daily injectable antibiotic, for the treatment of moderate to severe complicated foot infection due to indicated pathogens in diabetic patients without osteomyelitis. The approval was based on the results of the SIDESTEP study, the largest prospective, randomized and double-blind clinical trial ever conducted in diabetic patients with moderate to severe complicated foot infection. Foot infections commonly occur in patients with diabetes and are known to be difficult to treat.