Erbitux®* in gastric and colorectal cancer – an IgG1 monoclonal antibody specifically targeting the epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR), already approved for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. It is being studied in two Phase III trials, one in gastric cancer (EXPAND) and one as an adjuvant treatment in colon cancer (PETACC-8**).
*Merck KGaA licensed the rights to market Erbitux outside the U.S. and Canada from ImClone LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company
**Sponsored and coordinated by the Fédération Francophone de Cancérologie Digestive (FFCD)
Cilengitide in glioblastoma – Cilengitide is the first in a new class of investigational targeted anti-cancer therapies - the integrin inhibitors - to reach Phase III clinical development. Cilengitide is thought to control tumor growth by working in two ways: through attacking the tumor cells directly in a targeted manner and through starving tumor cells by stopping the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) that feed the tumor. A Phase III study (CENTRIC) is being conducted in patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain tumor for which there is a high unmet medical need.
Stimuvax®* in lung cancer – a cancer immunotherapy that is designed to stimulate the body’s immune system to identify and target cells expressing the cell surface glycoprotein MUC1. MUC1 is over-expressed or aberrantly expressed in many cancers types, such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and has multiple roles in promoting tumor growth and survival. Stimuvax is currently under evaluation in the Phase III START and INSPIRE trials for the treatment of unresectable stage III NSCLC.
* Merck KGaA obtained the exclusive worldwide rights for development and commercialization of Stimuvax from Oncothyreon Inc., Bellevue, Washington, USA
Kuvan (sapropterin dihydrochloride) in PKU -- the first treatment indicated in Europe for the treatment of hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) due to phenylketonuria (PKU) in patients over the age of 4. Merck Serono is completing the SPARK study to investigate the safety, efficacy and population pharmacokinetics of Kuvan in patients under 4 years of age who suffer from PKU.
