Merck Sharp and Dohme and Sun Pharma sign licensing deal for psoriasis drug

Merck Sharp and Dohme has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Sun Pharmaceutical Industries pertaining to tildrakizumab, an investigational therapeutic antibody candidate.

The drug, which is currently in phase III testing for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis, was originally developed by Merck, which will continue clinical development and regulatory activities with financial backing from Sun Pharma.

Thereafter, Sun Pharma will acquire worldwide rights to tildrakizumab for use in all human indications, taking responsibility for all regulatory activities, including subsequent submissions, pharmacovigilance, post-approval studies, manufacturing and commercialisation.

Other potential indications of tildrakizumab that may be evaluated in future include psoriatic arthritis and Crohn's disease.

Dr Iain Dukes, senior vice-president for business development and licensing at Merck Research Laboratories, said: "We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Sun Pharma to help realise the potential of tildrakizumab for patients with chronic plaque psoriasis."

This comes after the firm announced a collaboration with Pfizer last month that will see the companies investigating a potential new combination therapy for lung cancer.