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news.Idera Pharmaceuticals (Idera) has achieved a milestone under its worldwide licensing and collaboration agreement with Germany-based Merck KgaA (Merck). The milestone was achieved upon initiation of a phase 2 trial by Merck, of EMD 1201081, an agonist of Toll-like Receptor 9 (TLR9), in combination with cetuximab (Erbitux) in second-line cetuximab-naive patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
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As per the agreement, Idera is entitled to receive a payment of E3m from Merck. The company is expects to receive the milestone payment during the first quarter of 2010. The clinical trial is being conducted in eight countries, including the US.
Alice Bexon, vice president of clinical development at Idera, said: “We are very pleased with Merck’s initiation of this randomised Phase 2 clinical trial of EMD 1201081 in combination with cetuximab in patients with head and neck cancer. Under our collaboration with Merck, the use of EMD 1201081 with cetuximab is an important step forward in the development of our novel TLR9 agonists in combination with selected targeted agents for the treatment of solid tumors.”