Daiichi Announces Clinical Collaboration with Merck, Pfizer

New Delhi: Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited announced that it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer, Inc. to evaluate the combination of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201), an investigational HER2 targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), in combination with the checkpoint inhibitor avelumab and/or an investigational Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany DNA damage response (DDR) inhibitor, in patients with HER2(human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) expressing or mutated solid tumors.

A separate research collaboration to conduct preclinical studies evaluating [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan in combination with avelumab, the DDR inhibitor and other investigational compounds in Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany's and Pfizer's pipelines is also underway.

"The collaboration is another milestone in our development strategy to maximize the potential of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan for various HER2 expressing and mutated cancers in combination with immunotherapy and other agents with novel mechanisms of action," said Tom Held, Vice President, Head, Antibody-Drug Conjugate Task Force, Oncology Research and Development, Daiichi Sankyo. "We look forward to working with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer to determine an appropriate combination strategy to help further improve outcomes for patients. In particular, we are enthusiastic about better understanding the potential of combining [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan with DNA damage response agents."