Biothera, Merck deal
Merck and Biothera expanded an August deal to include an open-label Phase II trial of Biothera’s Imprime PGG in combination with Merck's cancer drug Keytruda pembrolizumab as second- and third-line treatment in 87 patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). The trial will enroll two cohorts: one comprising 38 patients with progressive disease following prior treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor and the other comprising 49 patients with stable disease who failed to demonstrate an objective response after ≥three months of Keytruda monotherapy. In August, the companies partnered to conduct a Phase II trial of Imprime PGG plus Keytruda in up to 95 patients with advanced melanoma and/or triple-negative breast cancer. The companies declined to disclose financial terms...