Friday, August 27, 2010 9:42:33 AM
>IDRA< Idera Pharmaceuticals Achieves Clinical Milestone Under Its Collaboration with Merck KGaA for Cancer Treatment
http://www.stockhouse.com/News/USReleasesDetail.aspx?n=7854244
Idera Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
IDRA | 8/27/2010 9:20:00 AM
- Clinical Trial Initiated in First-Line Treatment of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer --
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug 27, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDRA), today announced that it has achieved a milestone under its worldwide licensing and collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The milestone was achieved upon Merck KGaA's initiation of a Phase 1b clinical trial of IMO-2055 (EMD 1201081), an agonist of Toll-like Receptor 9 (TLR9), in combination with cisplatin, fluorouracil and cetuximab (Erbitux(R)) in first-line treatment of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Under the terms of the agreement, Idera is entitled to receive a payment of EUR3.0 million (approximately $3.8 million) from Merck KGaA.
"We are very pleased that Merck KGaA has initiated a clinical trial to evaluate IMO-2055 in the first-line treatment of patients with head and neck cancer," said Tim Sullivan, Ph.D., Idera's Vice President of Development Programs and Alliance Management. "The first-line trial is in addition to the Phase 2 clinical trial announced earlier this year to evaluate IMO-2055in second-line treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic SCCHN."
About the Collaboration
Idera Pharmaceuticals entered into a worldwide licensing and collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in December 2007 for the research, development and commercialization of Idera's Toll-like Receptor 9 (TLR9) agonists, including IMO-2055, for the potential treatment of cancers. In addition to the clinical study announced today, under the company's collaboration with Merck KGaA, IMO-2055 is being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial in combination with Erbitux(R) in second-line patients with recurrent or metastatic SCCHN, in a Phase 1b clinical trial in combination with erlotinib (Tarceva(R)) and bevacizumab (Avastin(R)) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and in a Phase 1b clinical trial in combination with Erbitux(R) and an irinotecan-containing treatment regimen in patients with colorectal cancer.
About Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Idera Pharmaceuticals develops drug candidates to treat infectious diseases, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, cancer, and respiratory diseases, and for use as vaccine adjuvants. Our proprietary drug candidates are designed to modulate specific Toll-like Receptors, which are a family of immune system receptors that direct immune system responses. Our pioneering DNA and RNA chemistry expertise enables us to create drug candidates for internal development and generates opportunities for multiple collaborative alliances. For more information, visit www.iderapharma.com.
http://www.stockhouse.com/News/USReleasesDetail.aspx?n=7854244
Idera Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
IDRA | 8/27/2010 9:20:00 AM
- Clinical Trial Initiated in First-Line Treatment of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer --
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug 27, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDRA), today announced that it has achieved a milestone under its worldwide licensing and collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The milestone was achieved upon Merck KGaA's initiation of a Phase 1b clinical trial of IMO-2055 (EMD 1201081), an agonist of Toll-like Receptor 9 (TLR9), in combination with cisplatin, fluorouracil and cetuximab (Erbitux(R)) in first-line treatment of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Under the terms of the agreement, Idera is entitled to receive a payment of EUR3.0 million (approximately $3.8 million) from Merck KGaA.
"We are very pleased that Merck KGaA has initiated a clinical trial to evaluate IMO-2055 in the first-line treatment of patients with head and neck cancer," said Tim Sullivan, Ph.D., Idera's Vice President of Development Programs and Alliance Management. "The first-line trial is in addition to the Phase 2 clinical trial announced earlier this year to evaluate IMO-2055in second-line treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic SCCHN."
About the Collaboration
Idera Pharmaceuticals entered into a worldwide licensing and collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in December 2007 for the research, development and commercialization of Idera's Toll-like Receptor 9 (TLR9) agonists, including IMO-2055, for the potential treatment of cancers. In addition to the clinical study announced today, under the company's collaboration with Merck KGaA, IMO-2055 is being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial in combination with Erbitux(R) in second-line patients with recurrent or metastatic SCCHN, in a Phase 1b clinical trial in combination with erlotinib (Tarceva(R)) and bevacizumab (Avastin(R)) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and in a Phase 1b clinical trial in combination with Erbitux(R) and an irinotecan-containing treatment regimen in patients with colorectal cancer.
About Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Idera Pharmaceuticals develops drug candidates to treat infectious diseases, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, cancer, and respiratory diseases, and for use as vaccine adjuvants. Our proprietary drug candidates are designed to modulate specific Toll-like Receptors, which are a family of immune system receptors that direct immune system responses. Our pioneering DNA and RNA chemistry expertise enables us to create drug candidates for internal development and generates opportunities for multiple collaborative alliances. For more information, visit www.iderapharma.com.
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