Organon’s attempt to revive a once-rejected “natural” contraceptive is over, a spokesperson confirmed to
Endpoints News.
The Merck women’s health spinoff has terminated a Phase III trial for NOMAC-E2 early due to “business reasons,” the spokesperson said. The company said the decision was unrelated to the drug’s safety.
NOMAC-E2 was developed by Theramex, a women’s health business that
was once
part of Merck KGaA and Teva. The candidate has been touted as a “natural” alternative to other contraceptives using synthetic estrogen, because it contains a version of the hormone that’s structurally identical to estrogen produced in the body.