Merck inks novel deal for colorectal cancer drug development

German life sciences major Merck KGaA (MRK: DE) today announced a development agreement for investigational molecule abituzumab with SFJ Pharmaceuticals Group (SFJ), a US-based company focused on increasing R&D output and productivity through innovative models.

“Our collaboration with SFJ illustrates Merck’s increasing focus on strategic partnering in order to further diversify our development risks as well as enable a more efficient pipeline prioritization,” said Belén Garijo, a member of the executive board of Merck and chief executive, Healthcare. “Together with SFJ, we aim to progress the understanding of the potential of abituzumab as a targeted treatment for patients suffering from mCRC [metastatic colorectal cancer],” he added.

Merck has completed Phase II development of abituzumab in combination with Erbitux (cetuximab) and chemotherapy in a second line all-comer patient population with KRAS wild-type mCRC. In this Phase II study, a subgroup of patients with overexpression of integrin αvβ6 was identified as potentially benefiting from this treatment. With the evolving understanding of the relationship between mCRC tumor location and treatment outcomes in recent years, SFJ will pursue the combination of abituzumab, Erbitux and chemotherapy in a first-line setting in high ανβ6-expressing patients who have RAS wild‑type left‑sided mCRC.