Vaccinex links with Merck on VX15/2503 and avelumab combo drug evaluation

11 October 2016

USA-based Vaccinex has entered into a collaboration agreement with Germany’s Merck KGaA (MRK: DE) to test a combination of their respective lung cancer candidates.

The companies will evaluate VX15/2503, an investigational humanized anti-semaphorin 4D IgG4 monoclonal antibody from Vaccinex, in combination with avelumab, an investigational fully human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 monoclonal antibody, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have not previously received immunotherapy.

Avelumab is being developed by Merck under a collaboration with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) through an alliance signed in 2014 that could generate up to $2.85 billion for the German firm.

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