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news.Geron has said that Merck & Co. has filed an investigational new drug application with the FDA for a cancer vaccine candidate that targets telomerase.
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Geron has received a $4 million milestone payment from Merck on account of the filing, and is eligible to receive additional development milestones as well as royalties on worldwide product sales.
Merck is developing the vaccine under a July, 2005 research, development and commercialization license agreement with Geron, which provided Merck with exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize non-dendritic cell based vaccines targeting telomerase. Telomerase is an enzyme, active in most cancer cells, that maintains telomere length at the ends of chromosomes.
Thomas Okarma, Geron’s president and CEO, said: “We are pleased with the progress that Merck has made in advancing this program towards the clinic. We appreciate the collaborative nature of our relationship with Merck and look forward to working with them to realize the therapeutic potential of this cancer vaccine candidate.”