Boston, MA 08/27/2014 (wallstreetpr) – Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) said yesterday that it shall be performing clinical tests of its lung cancer drug called Xalkori with Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)’s pembrolizumab, its experimental immunotherapy. The company said that clinical tests were carried out in order to find out whether combination led to better results for patients or not.
How can the combination of two work?
Xalkori is the lung cancer drug, which has annual sales worth $400 million in its kitty. Its chemical name is crizotinib and it got approval from FDA in the year 2011. This drug was approved for those lung cancer patients who had certain kind of mutation in ALK gene. It is possible to detect this via approved diagnostic test.
Such kind of mutation in the gene takes place in lesser population, basically among those patients who have small cell lung cancer. This is the most commonly occurring kind of lung cancer among people, but these patients are the most suitable and eligible candidates for Xalkori.
Pembrolizumab, in the meanwhile, functions by dismissing brakes from the immune system, which in turn, can help in destruction as well as detection of the cancer cells. Combination of these two drugs creates a therapy with differing mechanism and it is just exactly what can combat with the cancer cells.
Merck’s Drug to receive approval
The drug offered by Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK), called PD-1 inhibitor is in line for FDA approval. After approval, this will be the most block-buster drug for treating melanoma, and also a few other kinds of cancers such as lung cancer and others. However, this will be dependent on ongoing clinical trials.
Also, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is not making an analysis of pembrolizumab in combination with experimental drugs of its own company, but the studies are on its way for combination with other drugmakers such as Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN).
