A year after Merck & Co. Inc. and AstraZeneca PLC announced their innovative collaboration on the clinical development of two early-stage targeted cancer therapies, both companies say the project remains on track. [See Deal] "We initiated a Phase I study as of January 2010," Pearl Huang, PhD, VP, oncology franchise integrator, of Merck said in March at a cancer conference in New York. "It happened ahead of schedule due to the high enthusiasm within the companies and in the field."
Patient enrollment in the study is underway, with a decision on whether to move forward into Phase II likely early in 2011