Merck Partners with Array BioPharma and Pierre Fabre to Initiate BRAF-mutant CRC Phase III Trial (y 2)

MEK and RAF are key protein kinases in the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK-pathway. Research has shown this pathway regulates several key cellular activities including proliferation, differentiation, migration, survival and angiogenesis. Inappropriate activation of proteins in this pathway has been shown to occur in many cancers, such as non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, colorectal and thyroid cancer. Binimetinib is a small molecule MEK inhibitor and encorafenib is a small molecule RAF inhibitor, each of which target key enzymes in this pathway. There are three active Phase III trials which include these products: NRAS-mutant melanoma (NEMO, with binimetinib), BRAF-mutant melanoma (COLUMBUS, with binimetinib and encorafenib) and BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer (BEACON CRC, with binimetinib and encorafenib).

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Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life - from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2015, Merck generated sales of EUR 12.85 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials. Contact: Gangolf Schrimpf +49-6151-72-9591 Frankfurter Strasse 250 64293 Darmstadt, Germany Hotline +49-6151-72-5000 merckgroup.com 

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