Amgen, Merck Expand Collaboration

Amgen Inc. and Merck & Co. on Friday said they would pair two of their cancer drugs in an early-stage study of head and neck cancer patients, expanding a collaboration between the two drug makers.

The phase-1, open-label trial will evaluate the combination of Amgen's experimental talimogene laherparepvec with Merck's Keytruda in patients with carcinoma of the head and neck.

Both treatments are immunotherapies, which harness the body's immune system to destroy tumors. Amgen executive Sean E. Harper said in a statement that the drugs' different responses could be complementary.

Keytruda targets a protein called PD-1, a molecular brake that prevents the immune system from seeing tumors as invaders and enables cancer to avoid attack. Last year, Keytruda became the first anti-PD drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Drug makers have been racing for a share of the burgeoning cancer immunotherapy market, which some analysts predict could reach $20 billion to $30 billion in annual sales in the next decade.

Amgen and Merck also on Friday said they are initiating a randomized phase-3 trial to evaluate the drug combination in melanoma patients. A phase-1, open-label trial of the compounds in melanoma is continuing.

Write to Chelsey Dulaney at [e-mail]

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