Merck KGaA shores up Rebif defenses to fend off new MS rivals

Merck KGaA‘s multiple sclerosis treatment Rebif is holding its own. Considering that the German drugmaker’s flagship product faces some formidable new competitors–including Biogen Idec’s ($BIIB) brand-new powerhouse, Tecfidera–that’s not too shabby.

The drug brought in €1.86 billion last year, or about $2.56 billion, a decline of 1.5%, despite what Merck calls “severe competitive pressure” in the U.S. Tecfidera launched last spring, and joining Novartis’ ($NVS) Gilenya and Sanofi’s ($SNY) Aubagio in the oral MS market. Rebif is an injected treatment, and like other MS injectables, faces bleed-off from patients defecting to the easier-to-take pills.

Merck expects the scuffle for sales to intensify this year, and it’s building up its battlements, particularly in the EU. “Several new competitors to our product Rebif are expected to enter the market (in Europe),” the company says in its annual report. “Strategies for defending market share have been launched.”

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