Merck Enters Clinical Trials with Immuno-Oncology Drug

Merck (NYSE:MRK) has begun clinical trials for its novel immuno-oncology drug, which targest two pathways in one molecule.
According to an article on PMLive:

The bifunctional immunotherapy – called M7824 – was one of the highlights of an R&D update held yesterday at which the company highlighted its pipeline of new drug candidates in its three target areas of oncology, immuno-oncology and immunology.
The drug is double-headed fusion protein that is thought to work by restoring and enhancing anti-tumour immune responses and – in preclinical animal models – has demonstrated a 100% complete response rate.
Merck is not ready to divulge the molecular targets for M7824 just yet, but says it has started phase I trials and is due to start additional trials in solid tumours in the middle of next year. The drug “has the potential to offer an alternative therapy to anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 and other immunotherapies,” according to Luciano Rossetti, global head of R&D at the company’s Merck Serono division.
In the oncology pipeline, Merck highlighted tepotinib, an inhibitor of c-Met that is moving forward in multiple phase II trials including patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with data due in 2017.

Click here to read the full article on PM Live.