Pfizer Pays Merck KGaA US$850 M Upfront to Compete in Immuno-Oncology

Abstract

In a deal that suggests that it may no longer be interested in acquiring AstraZeneca, Pfizer has agreed to pay Merck KGaA US$850 M upfront in order to co-develop and co-commercialise the German company’s anti-PD-L1 (programmed deathligand-1) antibody MSB0010718C, which is being evaluated in a Phase II trial in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma. The deal, which provides a much-needed boost to Merck’s pipeline prospects, will help advance Pfizer’s position in the highly competitive immuno-oncology field. It also allows Merck to enter the US oncology market by giving it co-promotion rights to Pfizer’s Xalkori® (crizotinib).