Merck, Pfizer Collaborate with Dako on Avelumab Alliance

As part of the global strategic alliance between Merck and Pfizer to develop and commercialize avelumab, an investigational immune checkpoint inhibitor, the companies have entered a collaboration with Dako, an Agilent Technologies company, for the development of a potential companion diagnostic test (CDx).  Financial terms were not disclosed.
 
The agreement allows the three companies to work together to develop the CDx to assess programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) protein expression levels in tumor tissue, and its microenvironment, including tumor-associated immune cells. The investigational CDx is part of the protocols in ongoing clinical trials of avelumab.