media: Merck’s $1 billion deal includes phase 3 ovarian cancer therapeutic (Vintafolide/Endocyte)

Merck’s $1 billion deal includes phase 3 ovarian cancer therapeutic

 Merck (NYSE:MRK) has forged a deal with a biopharmaceutical company for its phase 3 platinum-resistant ovarian cancer treatment and nonsmall cell lung cancer in mid-stage development in a deal valued at up to $1 billion... Under the terms of the deal, Merck, through a subsidiary, will get worldwide rights to develop and commercialize vintafolide for ovarian cancer that’s resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy treatment. Endocyte (NASDAQ:ECYT), the Indiana-based cancer therapeutics developer, will receive a $120 million up-front payment and is eligible for milestone payments of up to $880 million if it achieves certain development, regulatory and commercialization milestones for vintafolide for a total of six cancer indications, according to a company statement......

"...The clinical trials for both maladies will also use etarfolatide, a noninvasive companion diagnostic imaging agent that is used to identify folate receptor positive tumor cells.....

Endocyte Receives USAN Approval for Nonproprietary Names of Novel Endocyte Drug Candidates - financial news (EC145/Vintafolide/Etarfolatide)

Endocyte Receives USAN Approval for Nonproprietary Names of Novel Endocyte Drug Candidates (Nasdaq:ECYT)

"March 22, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Endocyte, Inc.  (Nasdaq:ECYT), a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted small molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs) and companion imaging diagnostics for personalized therapy, today announced that the World Health Organization and the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council have approved the nonproprietary name "vintafolide" (pronounced vin ta foe' lide) for Endocyte's therapeutic drug candidate EC145 and the nonproprietary name of "etarfolatide" (pronounced et" ar foe' la tide) for Endocyte's companion imaging agent EC20. Vintafolide and etarfolatide are currently being evaluated in the Phase 3 PROCEED trial for the treatment of women with folate-receptor positive platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Etarfolatide is being used to select patients with tumors that over-express folate receptors and who are most likely to benefit from vintafolide therapy. Endocyte intends to file European Marketing Authorisation Applications for both agents based on positive Phase 2 results............."