Merck Sharp and Dohme and Incyte to advance development of cancer therapy

Merck Sharp and Dohme and Incyte have announced their plans to advance an ongoing clinical development programme assessing a promising new cancer therapy regimen.

The companies have been working together to investigate a combination of epacadostat, Incyte's investigational oral selective IDO1 inhibitor, with Merck's approved anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda.

This latest development will see pivotal studies of the combination regimen initiated for four additional tumours – non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Data from ongoing studies of epacadostat plus Keytruda – specifically the ECHO-202 phase II cohorts – have supported this decision, with presentations of this information expected at upcoming medical meetings.

A phase III trial, ECHO-301, has also been launched to assess the combination for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma, with initial results expected in 2018.

Dr Roy Baynes, senior vice-president, head of clinical development and chief medical officer at Merck Research Laboratories, said: "The expansion of our clinical trial programme with Incyte is an important component of our comprehensive approach to investigating the potential for Keytruda in combination with promising compounds."

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