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Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced that, together with its partner Merck KGaA has decided to no longer jointly pursue development of matuzumab
OSAKA, Japan | February 18, 2008 | Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) announced today that, together with its partner Merck KGaA (“Merck”, Darmstadt, Germany), it has decided to no longer jointly pursue development of matuzumab (development code: EMD72000) any further based on the clinical findings to date.
Discovered by Merck, matuzumab is a recombinant, humanized, monoclonal antibody (MAb) against the human EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), which is associated in the development and progression of a number of human solid tumors. Takeda entered into a co-development and co-commercialization agreement for matuzumab with Merck in September 2005, which covered markets such as the U.S.A., several countries in Europe, Japan and some countries in Asia.
Under the joint development program with Merck, matuzumab has been investigated in Phase II clinical trials in indications such as metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), gastric cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), where it did not meet its predefined clinical endpoints of activity.
About Takeda
Located in Osaka, Japan, Takeda is a research-based global company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and one of the global leaders of the industry, Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products. Additional information about Takeda is available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com.
SOURCE: TAKEDA
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