Merck and Selvita collaborate on oncology development

German pharma company Merck (MRK: DE) and Poland-based Selvita (PL: SLV) have entered into a three-year collaboration to validate new therapeutic concepts in oncology.

The companies aim to deliver potential first-in-class small molecules as lead candidate drugs for multiple oncology indications. Merck and Selvita will contribute funding and resources to support the collaboration and bring in their knowledge in target validation, bioinformatics, medicinal chemistry, in vitro and in vivo biology, and toxicology. Merck will have exclusive license to the joint intellectual property, while Selvita will receive milestone payments and royalties upon the successful development and commercialization of products by Merck.

Andree Blaukat, head of the translational innovation platform oncology at Merck, said: "We are excited about our new collaboration and to continue our productive relationship with Selvita and to build upon our collective efforts of the last two years. We are making strong progress in the area of cancer metabolism, and remain focused on bringing innovative new therapeutic options to patients that have the potential to make a substantial difference in their lives."