Collaborating to Develop Trispecific Antibodies, Daiichi Sankyo and Merck Extend Cooperation
The worldwide cooperative development and commercialization agreement between Daiichi Sankyo and Merck (MSD) was expanded to include Merck's experimental treatment MK-6070 and three additional DXd antibody-drug conjugates that are now being studied. Targeting DLL3, a Notch inhibitory ligand that is weakly expressed in normal tissues and strongly expressed in neuroendocrine tumors such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC), MK-6070 is a T-cell engager that has promise as a therapeutic target. Phase 1/2 clinical studies are now evaluating MK-6070, a tri-specific T-cell engager that targets DLL3. It can be used as a monotherapy for some patients with late-stage cancer linked with DLL3 expression, or in combination with atezolizumab, an anti-PD-L1 treatment, for some patients with small cell lung cancer. MK-6070 is now an orphan medication approved by the US FDA to treat SCLC. Before this, Merck had paid about $680 million to purchase Harpoon Therapeutics and its research product. The two businesses intend to investigate further possible combination therapy and assess the combined impact of MK-6070 and the B7-H3 targeting antibody-drug conjugate ifinatamab deruxtecan in certain SCLC patients.