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Merrimack Announces Positive Data on Oncology Candidate

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. MACK announced results from the final analysis of the phase I study on pipeline candidate, MM-151, at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting held in Chicago.

MM-151 is a novel investigational oligoclonal epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor in patients with refractory solid tumors.

Data from the phase I study showed positive clinical activity across multiple solid tumor types in a heavily pretreated patient population. While 21% of evaluable patients in the metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) cohort achieved an objective response, 54% of patients showed a decrease in tumor size. The CRC cohort demonstrated a median progression-free survival (PFS) of four months. The candidate also showed positive clinical activity in both the EGFR-treatment-refractory and EGFR-treatment-naïve populations.

As per the American Cancer Society, CRC is the third-most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S., with an estimated 144,000 new cases to be diagnosed in 2016.

Meanwhile, MM-151 is being evaluated in two other phase I studies – one in combination with the Onivyde (irinotecan liposome injection) regimen for metastatic CRC, and a first-of-its-kind, multi-arm basket study on a combination of the candidate with three other novel agents. Both these studies were initiated this May.

Merrimack has gained FDA approval for its first product, Onivyde, in Oct 2015. Onivyde is approved for use, in combination with fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin, for the treatment of patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas after disease progression following Gemzar (gemcitabine)-based therapy.

Also, this makes Merrimack heavily dependent on Onivyde for growth. As a result, the company needs to work extensively on its pipeline to reduce dependence on a single product.

Merrimack Pharma carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other favorably placed stocks in the health care sector include Pfizer Inc. PFE, Johnson & Johnson JNJ and Abbott Laboratories ABT. While Pfizer sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Johnson & Johnson and Abbott Labs carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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