UPDATE 1 — Merck's eye disease drug meets main goal in trial

(Adds trial and disease details in paragraphs 2 to 4) Sept 24 (Reuters) — Merck said on Thursday its drug met the main goal in a mid- to late-stage trial testing it in adult patients with a type of disease that affects blood vessels at the back of the eye. The company said its drug, remigromig, demonstrated non-inferiority when compared with control drug ranibizumab in patients with diabetic macular edema. It is a serious eye condition that causes swelling and fluid buildup in the macula, which is the central part of the retina at the back of the eye. The disease can lead to blindness. Merck said the trial results will be presented at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. (Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed) ((Christy.Santhosh@thomsonreuters.com;)