Merck and Pfizer Collaborate with Dako
Development of Companion Diagnostic for Investigational anti-PD-L1 Antibody, Avelumab
As part of the global strategic alliance between Merck and Pfizer to jointly develop and commercialize avelumab, an investigational immune checkpoint inhibitor, the companies have announced that they have a collaboration agreement in place with Dako, an Agilent Technologies company, for the development of a potential companion diagnostic test (CDx).
Merck KGaA
The three-party agreement, signed recently, enables Dako, Merck and Pfizer to work to develop the CDx to assess programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) protein expression levels in tumor tissue, and its microenvironment, including tumor-associated immune cells. The investigational CDx is part of the protocols in ongoing clinical trials of avelumab, some of which will be reported at upcoming scientific congresses. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Avelumab is currently under clinical investigation and has not been approved for use in the U.S., E.U., Canada, or elsewhere. All investigational products have not yet been proven to be either safe or effective and any claims of safety and effectiveness can be made only after regulatory review of the data and approval of the labeled claims.
Other news from the department business & finance
Most read news
More news from our other portals
See the theme worlds for related content
Topic world Diagnostics
Diagnostics is at the heart of modern medicine and forms a crucial interface between research and patient care in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. It not only enables early detection and monitoring of disease, but also plays a central role in individualized medicine by enabling targeted therapies based on an individual's genetic and molecular signature.
Topic world Diagnostics
Diagnostics is at the heart of modern medicine and forms a crucial interface between research and patient care in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. It not only enables early detection and monitoring of disease, but also plays a central role in individualized medicine by enabling targeted therapies based on an individual's genetic and molecular signature.