Merck to evaluate MK-3475 combos
Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) reported 4Q13 and 2013 earnings on Wednesday and announced a trio of deals to evaluate MK-3475 in combination with other companies' products in trials planned for later this year. Merck is submitting a rolling BLA to FDA for MK-3475, a humanized IgG4 mAb against PD-1 receptor ( PDCD1; PD-1; CD279), to treat melanoma.
Merck and Incyte Corp. (NASDAQ:INCY) will evaluate MK-3475 with Incyte's INCB024360 in a Phase I/II trial for previously treated metastatic and recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or other advanced or metastatic cancers. Incyte will conduct the trial and the partners will co-fund it. INCB024360 is an indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) inhibitor. Merck and Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) will evaluate MK-3475 alone and in combination with Amgen's talimogene laherparepvec in a Phase I/II trial for previously untreated advanced melanoma. Talimogene laherparepvec is a modified herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) encoding GM-CSF. Amgen and Merck did not disclose financial terms. ...