By Olivia Bugault

Novartis AG said late Friday that Phase 3 of its Merlin trial that assesses the efficacy and safety of Beovu has met its primary endpoint, but that it will terminate the study due to safety issues.

In the two-year study that started in the second half of 2018, six milligrams of Beovu were given every four weeks to patients with wet age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that can cause severe vision loss, Novartis said.

Although the study met its primary endpoint--of "non-inferiority in change in best corrected visual acuity from baseline"--and its secondary endpoints on "superiority on select anatomical" at year one versus aflibercept medication, the Swiss pharma giant announced the early termination of the Merlin study. It also said it was terminating two other studies, Raptor and Raven, assessing the efficacy and safety of Beovu in retinal vein occlusion.

"In this [Merlin] study evaluating every four week dosing, Beovu was associated with higher rates of IOI [intraocular inflammation] including retinal vasculitis and retinal vascular occlusion versus aflibercept," the company said.

Novartis said physicians shouldn't use 6 mg of Beovu at intervals less than two months beyond the first three doses.

Write to Olivia Bugault at olivia.bugault@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications

This article was corrected at 1209 GMT to reflect that Beovu is associated with higher rates of intraocular inflammation. The original version incorrectly stated that Beovu was associated with higher rates of idiopathic orbital inflammation in the fourth paragraph.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

05-31-21 0152ET