With Phase III started in head and neck cancer, Debiopharm partners lead program with Germany’s Merck

Debiopharm will bank €188 million ($226.6 million) for pipeline development now that the biotech has partnered lead program xevinapant with Merck KGaA, adding the German biopharma’s resources to the molecule’s evaluation in a Phase III trial.

Merck KGaA (Xetra:MRK) will gain a potential first-in-class IAP antagonist that has already shown a survival benefit in a Phase II study. The partners will jointly fund the 700-patient Phase III TrilynX study of xevinapant (Debio 1143) to treat locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The trial began last year, and is due to read out in late 2024, according to ClinicalTrials.gov...