Merck KGaA’s Xevinapant Misses Primary Endpoint in Phase III Head and Neck Cancer Trial

Merck KGaA (NYSE: MRK), a leading German pharmaceutical company, has encountered a setback in the Phase III clinical trial for xevinapant, a drug licensed from Debiopharm in a deal valued at over USD 1 billion in 2021. The drug, which combines with chemoradiotherapy (CRT), was being investigated in the TrilynX study for the treatment of unresected locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (LA SCCHN). However, the study has been discontinued following an interim analysis that suggested the trial would not meet its primary endpoint of extending event-free survival.

Xevinapant, the first oral small-molecule inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) to reach the late stages of clinical development, is designed to restore sensitivity to apoptosis in cancer cells, thereby overcoming a key resistance mechanism to treatment. According to Clinicaltrials.gov, Merck had planned to initiate a Phase I trial for xevinapant as a treatment for glioma. It remains uncertain whether the development of the molecule will proceed following this setback.- Flcube.com

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