Pharmaceutical Business review

Takeda terminates matuzumab development program

Under the joint development program with Merck, matuzumab has been investigated in Phase II clinical trials in indications such as metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), gastric cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), where it did not meet its predefined clinical endpoints of activity.

Discovered by Merck, matuzumab is a recombinant, humanized, monoclonal antibody (MAb) against the human EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), which is associated in the development and progression of a number of human solid tumors.