Merck, Pfizer and Verastem join forces on testing avelumab combo

Germany’s Merck KGaA (MRK: DE), US pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and cancer drug developer Verastem (Nasdaq: VSTM) have entered into an agreement to evaluate avelumab, an investigational fully human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 monoclonal antibody, in combination with Verastem’s VS-6063 (defactinib), an investigational focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor, in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

Avelumab is currently under clinical investigation across a broad range of tumor types. The Phase I/Ib clinical trial is expected to begin in the second half of 2016. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Merck and Pfizer have existing agreements on the development of avelumab, which has gained US Breakthrough Therapy designation for the treatment of a rare skin cancer (The Pharma Letter November 19, 2015). The two companies also have an accord with Syndax Pharmaceuticals to evaluate a potential combination therapy of avelumab and entinostat for ovarian cancer.