Merck to develop oncology drugs with Cancer Research UK and ICR

Merck has entered a multi-project collaboration and licensing deal with Cancer Research UK and the Institute of Cancer Research, London (ICR) for the discovery and development of new drugs to treat cancer. The entities will collaborate on three different research projects. The scope of the R&D alliance ranges from target hit discovery to nomination of candidates for preclinical development. As per the licensing deal, Merck will hold worldwide rights to advance the discovered molecules into clinical development. In return, Cancer Research UK and the ICR will receive payments based on the research and development, regulatory and sales milestones, along with royalty payments on net sales of products discovered or developed in the future.