Merck KGaA's 1st in class brain cancer drug cilengitide flunks Ph III

Merck KGaA's investigational drug for glioblastoma, the first-in-class integrin inhibitor cilengitide, has failed to meet its primary endpoint in a 500-patient Phase III trial. Flagged by Datamonitor last year as a key hope for the German firm's future revenue growth, cilengitide has not been officially discontinued - a Phase II trial in a subset of patients is continuing with data expected this year - but the drug's prospects look dim.