Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD; NYSE: MRK) has announced a partnership with IDEAYA Biosciences (NASDAQ: IDYA), a US-based biotechnology company, to clinically develop the combination of MSD’s top-selling anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) with IDEAYA’s potential first-in-class poly (ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) inhibitor IDE161. The collaboration focuses on treating microsatellite instability-high (MSI-high) and microsatellite stable (MSS) endometrial cancer. MSD will provide Keytruda for a Phase I trial, with both companies maintaining all commercial rights to their respective products.
IDE161 is currently in early-stage development as a monotherapy for various solid tumors with homologous recombination deficiency, including ER+/HER2- breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer. The small-molecule inhibitor (SMI) has demonstrated the ability to induce multiple partial responses and tumor shrinkage.
According to the public data, IDEAYA is also engaged in a collaboration with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) for the Phase II development of Pfizer’s cMET inhibitor crizotinib, combined with the PKC inhibitor darovasertib, licensed from Novartis (NYSE: NVS), for the treatment of metastatic uveal melanoma (MUM).- Flcube.com
