July 23 (Reuters) - Merck ( MRK ) said on Tuesday an

antibody-based drug met the main goal of a mid-to-late stage

trial testing it as a therapy to protect infants from disease

caused by the respiratory syncytial virus.

The drug, MK-1654, helped reduce the incidence of lower

respiratory infection in infants compared to placebo, and met

the safety goals of the study, Merck ( MRK ) said.

RSV is a contagious virus that can lead to serious

respiratory conditions such as pneumonia. According to the

company, it causes an estimated 101,000 deaths a year worldwide

in children under five.