Vertex Pharm and MRK announce start of Phase 2 clinical trial for investigational Aurora kinase inhibitor MK-0457; VRTX earns $25 mln milestone (VRTX) 37.45 :
Merck (MRK) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals today announced the start of an intl clinical trial of MK-0457 (also known as VX-680), an investigational small molecule inhibitor of Aurora, FLT-3, JAK-2 and BCR-ABL kinases. The study will be conducted in patients with treatment-resistant chronic myelogenous leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphocytic leukemia containing the T315I BCR-ABL mutation. In connection with the start of dosing in the trial, which is designed to support registration of MK-0457 in the U.S. and other countries, Vertex earned a $25 mln milestone payment from Merck.
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