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ARTICLE | Company News

Merck, Syndax to test Keytruda/entinostat combo

April 1, 2015 1:34 AM UTC

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Syndax Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Waltham, Mass.) will jointly run a Phase Ib/II combination trial of Merck's Keytruda pembrolizumab plus Syndax's entinostat ( SNDX-275) to treat patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or melanoma. The companies plan to start the trial next half.

Merck spokesperson Pamela Eisele said the trial will be the first to combine Keytruda, a humanized IgG4 mAb against programmed cell death 1 ( PDCD1; PD-1; CD279), with a histone deacetylase ( HDAC) inhibitor. The companies said entinostat, an oral HDAC inhibitor, enhanced immune checkpoint inhibition in preclinical models. ...