Merck Serono to reconsider cancer drug development
Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, is to reconsider development of matuzumab in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients.
Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, is to reconsider development of matuzumab in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients.
The move comes as patient results failed to meet its predefined endpoint activity during a phase II trial of matuzumab and irinotecan in patients with mCRC who had already failed on multiple prior treatments.
Matuzumab is being co-developed and co-commercialised in partnership between Merck Serono and Takeda. Although both companies share the view that the study results in mCRC do not meet expectations, they are continuing to study the drug in other tumors including non-small cell lung cancer.
More than 370,000 people develop colorectal cancer in Europe every year, accounting for 13% of the total cancer burden and around 200,000 deaths.1 Approximately 25% of patients present with metastatic disease.2 Five-year survival rates for patients with mCRC are as low as 5%.3