Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Pivotal Phase IIb Study Results Of The Company's Investigational HDAC Inhibitor ZOLINZA(TM) (vorinostat) In Patients With Advanced, Refractory Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL)

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2006--Merck & Co., Inc. today announced results of a pivotal Phase IIb open-label study evaluating ZOLINZA(TM), (vorinostat, also known as suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, SAHA), an investigational histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, in patients with advanced, refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In the study, 30 percent of the patients (22 of 74) responded to treatment with ZOLINZA as measured by the objective response rate (complete and partial responses as measured by a modified skin severity weighted assessment tool). The results were presented at the 33rd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Atlanta, Ga.