GSK: signs cancer drug alliance with Germany's Merck
(CercleFinance.com) - British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline has signed a global strategic alliance with Germany's Merck KGaA to develop immunotherapy to fight difficult-to-treat cancers.
Both companies say that they plan to commercialise M7824, an investigational bifunctional fusion protein immunotherapy that targets two immuno-suppressive pathways that are commonly used by cancer cells to evade the immune system.
The deal includes a Phase II trial to investigate M7824 compared with US giant Merck's Keytruda as a first-line treatment in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, they said.
Under the terms of the deal, Merck KGaA will receive an upfront payment of 300 million euros and is eligible for potential development milestone payments of up to 500 million euros.
The German group is also entitled to future approval and commercial milestones of up to 2.9 billion euros, for a total potential deal value of up to 3.7 billion euros.
Copyright (c) 2019 CercleFinance.com. All rights reserved.
Both companies say that they plan to commercialise M7824, an investigational bifunctional fusion protein immunotherapy that targets two immuno-suppressive pathways that are commonly used by cancer cells to evade the immune system.
The deal includes a Phase II trial to investigate M7824 compared with US giant Merck's Keytruda as a first-line treatment in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, they said.
Under the terms of the deal, Merck KGaA will receive an upfront payment of 300 million euros and is eligible for potential development milestone payments of up to 500 million euros.
The German group is also entitled to future approval and commercial milestones of up to 2.9 billion euros, for a total potential deal value of up to 3.7 billion euros.
Copyright (c) 2019 CercleFinance.com. All rights reserved.