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Merck Is Counting On Keytruda To Establish Its Anti-TIGIT Drug

 
• By Joseph Haas

Vibostolimab is less advanced than Roche’s competing tiragolumab, but Merck thinks the combo of its anti-TIGIT and Keytruda will offer a better therapeutic profile.

RAHWAY, NJ - JULY 17: A sign at the entrance to a Merck plant in Rahway, New Jersey on July 17, 2017. Merck is an American pharmaceutical company.
Merck thinks its anti-TIGIT candidate will benefit from combination with Keytruda

Coming out of the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, Merck & Co. Inc. is getting some credit for the potential of its TIGIT inhibitor vibostolimab, which it is studying in combination with other checkpoint inhibitors – Keytruda and a CTLA-4 inhibitor – in non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma. At least one analyst sees this candidate leading the space along with Roche’s tiragolumab, and presumably ahead of at least six other firms with anti-TIGIT agents in clinical development.

During a summary presentation after ASCO on 2 June, Merck Research Laboratories president Roger Perlmutter was mostly circumspect about the...

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More from ASCO

In Brief: Sanofi Cements Support For Adagene

 
• By Kevin Grogan

Deal Snapshot: The French drugmaker has been shifting its investments away from cancer to focus on immunology and inflammation but it continues to seek out interesting early-stage oncology assets.

J&J’s Trispecific Antibody For Myeloma Offers Improved Safety, Potency Over Bispecifics

 
• By Alaric DeArment

The drugmaker presented data from its Phase I study of JNJ-79635322 at ASCO and EHA showing a 100% response rate in BCMA- and GPRC5D-naïve patients.

ASCO: Pushing The Frontiers Of ADCs

 
• By Mary Jo Laffler

Antibody-drug conjugates are a major part of the oncology pipeline, and data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting highlight the emergence of new technologies.

Innovent Builds Metabolic Pipeline While Retaining Oncology Backbone

 
• By Xu Hu

Innovent presented data on multiple pipeline assets at ASCO, including promising OS results for its first-in-class anti-PD-1/IL-2α-bias bispecific. The Chinese firm is also continuing to build out its metabolic disease portfolio and consider its partnering strategies, its CEO tells Scrip.

More from Conferences

BIO Deal Trends: Financial Market Stress Creates Transactional Opportunities

 
• By Mandy Jackson

M&A may not be booming in 2025, but BIO convention attendees reported no shortage of potential deals, especially as cash-strapped drug developers seek funding alternatives.

Chinese Developers Showcase Potentially Differentiated Weight Loss Assets At ADA

 
• By Xu Hu

Multiple Chinese firms presented at this year’s ADA meeting, with a focus on weight reduction efficacy for mostly early clinical stage assets. While limited information was given on lean mass preservation, several companies are progressing drugs and combos to address this need.

Vertex Heralds ‘Unprecedented’ Zimislecel Type 1 Diabetes Data

 
• By Kevin Grogan

The off-the-shelf stem cell therapy shows sustained glycemic control and a high rate of insulin independence.