Merck Serono recently announced it will be attending the upcoming 2015 European Cancer Congress (ECC) to present the latest updates on the company’s line up of early- and late-stage product candidates, including Erbitux (cetuximab), a highly active IgG1 monoclonal antibody that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to inhibit tumor cells’ ability to repair damage incurred from chemo- and/or radio-therapy, and angiogenesis. The ECC is set to take place September 25-29, 2015 in Vienna, Austria.
Merck’s soon-to-be presented data strengthens and demonstrates the company’s focus on discovering and advancing novel treatments that will address complex cancers such as pancreatic, non-small cell lung and urothelial cancers.
“Our data at ECC 2015 demonstrate our oncology strategy in action, through external innovation and a focus on precision medicine to personalize treatment,” said Luciano Rossetti, Head of Global Research & Development at Merck’s biopharmaceutical business Merck Serono. “We are committed to understanding which patients will benefit most from our treatments, as this is a critical component to improve patient outcomes.”
ECC attendees will also have access to presentations from the Merck-Pfizer Alliance, which will mostly cover updates on the development of avelumab, an investigational anti-PD-L1 antibody initially discovered and developed by Merck, along with Merck’s collaboration with Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., revealing Phase I findings on evofosfamide, an investigational hypoxia-activated prodrug that is thought to be activated under severe tumor hypoxic conditions.
The Merck-Pfizer Alliance will feature 6 abstracts evaluating PD-L1 inhibition in immuno-oncology, and the safety and efficacy of avelumab in urothelial, mesothelioma and gastric/gastroesophageal cancers. The Merck-Threshold partnership will present Phase I data on evofosfamide in Asian patients with advanced solid tumors and pancreatic cancer.
Merck will also be highlighting its commitment to personalize cancer care through precision medicine. Data on tepotinib, an investigational small-molecule inhibitor of the c-Met receptor tyrosine kinase shown to cause growth inhibition and regression of tumors with c-Met mutations, c-Met overexpression or hepatocyte growth factor secretion in preclinical models, will be presented. There will also be a presentation on the clinical potential of Erbitux as a first line treatment of RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), and on biomarkers in head and neck cancer.
For a complete, more detailed list of abstracts lined up for the ECC, visit the conference website here.
