Merck, maker of the pioneering immuno-oncology treatment Keytruda, is investing in the next generation of cancer therapies that harness the body’s natural defenses, agreeing to pay as much as $605 million for an Israeli biotech at work in the field.
The New Jersey pharma giant has agreed to spend $95 million up front on cCAM Biotherapeutics and its lead asset, an early-stage treatment similar to Keytruda. Under the agreement, the biotech’s shareholders are due as much as $510 million more tied to clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones, Merck said.
With the deal, Merck brings in CM-24, an antibody designed to block the immune checkpoint CEACAM1, which functions as a sort of brake on the immune system. By inhibiting CEACAM1, CM-24 is designed to unblind the body to tumor cells previously undetected, galvanizing an immune attack on cancer.
The treatment is in the midst of a Phase I study testing its effect on recurrent malignancies, Merck said, including skin, lung, bladder and colorectal cancers.
Source: Fiercebiotech