Merck to Present New Research Focused on Hard-to-Treat Cancers at ESMO 2016

Darmstadt, Germany (ots/PRNewswire) -

Not intended for UK- or US-based media

ESMO Abstract #

Avelumab: 777PD, 775PD, 1154P, 842TiP, 844TiP; Erbitux: 527P,
491P, 967P, 994P; Tepotinib: 1257P, 1287TiP, 1292TiP

- Merck to feature new research from marketed and pipeline compounds

- Preliminary results from combination study with avelumab in renal
cell carcinoma, and updates on Phase II tepotinib program in
non-small cell lung cancer, to be presented
- Merck to announce 2016 Grant for Oncology Innovation winners
coinciding with ESMO

Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced
that new research from their marketed and pipeline compounds will be
presented at this year's European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO;
October 7-11, 2016, Copenhagen, Denmark) annual meeting.
Presentations will focus on hard-to-treat cancers, and include: study
results for Erbitux® (cetuximab) in metastatic colorectal cancer
(mCRC) and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN);
preliminary study results in bladder cancer and renal cell carcinoma
(RCC) for avelumab, which is being developed in collaboration with
Pfizer; and updates on the Phase II program for tepotinib* in
non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

"The data being presented at ESMO reflect our commitment to making
a meaningful difference in patients' lives, in particular those who
are affected by hard-to-treat cancers," said Luciano Rossetti,
Executive Vice President, Head of Global Research & Development at
the biopharma business of Merck. "We continue to focus on researching
the full potential of Erbitux, as well as our ongoing pipeline
development programs for avelumab and other early-stage oncology and
immuno-oncology compounds."

At ESMO, avelumab will be featured in four posters that add to the
growing body of evidence of the potential of this investigational
compound. These will include data updates in bladder cancer that
confirm avelumab's potential in this hard-to-treat cancer; and
preliminary results from a combination study with axitinib in RCC
that support the rationale to evaluate the combination in a Phase III
pivotal study. Tepotinib, a highly selective c-Met kinase inhibitor,
will also be highlighted in three posters, with updates on the
ongoing study program in c-Met-positive metastatic NSCLC.

Several studies, which will be presented at ESMO, once again
reaffirm Erbitux as a standard-of-care therapy for mCRC patients with
RAS wild-type tumors and patients with SCCHN.

Merck believes that to truly deliver the promise of innovation for