Satisfactory Results With Merck/Medarex Cancer Drug

Germany's Merck KGaA and US biotechnology company Medarex have beencollaborating on the development of a new anticancer drug MDX-447 (also known as EMD 826331), interim Phase I clinical trials of which have been encouraging, says Merck.

MDX-447, according to Medarex, has demonstrated that it is immunologically active at all doses. Nine of 36 patients evaluable for response experienced stable disease for around three to six months; the optimal dose and dose-limiting toxicities have yet to be defined in this dose-escalation study, the company said. No serious side effects have been noted.

The compound is a bispecific antibody that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor, which is over-expressed in many solid tumors. It is being studied at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA, in patients with advanced, incurable solid tumor cancers.