GSK Makes I-O Move With Merck KGaA Deal Worth Up To €3.7bn

05 Feb 2019

Already working with Pfizer on the immunotherapy Bavencio, Merck KGaA has bagged another big pharma player in GSK to progress what has been heralded by analysts as the German group's oncology game changer, M7824, which combines two powerful and synergistic anticancer mechanisms into one molecule.

Brainstorming — Merck KGaA and GSK See Bright Future For M7824 • Source: Shutterstock

GlaxoSmithKline PLC's return to the oncology space has been confirmed by the UK major making a hefty €300m upfront payment to get access to Merck KGAA's bifunctional immunotherapy M7824 (bintrafusp alfa).

M7824 has been designed to simultaneously target two immuno-suppressive pathways - transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) trap and an anti-programmed cell...