Antengene Corporation Limited announced it has entered into a global clinical collaboration with MSD (Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA) on a multicenter, open-label, Phase I dose-finding study of ATG-037 as a monotherapy and in combination with MSD's anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors (the STAMINA-001 study). The primary objective of the STAMINA-001 study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of ATG-037 as monotherapy and in combination with KEYTRUDA®, to determine the appropriate dose for Phase II studies. Secondary objectives of the study include the characterization of the pharmacology and evaluation of preliminary efficacy of ATG-037.

Under the terms of the Agreement, the study will be conducted by Antengene, and MSD will provide KEYTRUDA® for the combination portions of the trial. ATG-037, is an innovative asset in-licensed from Calithera with global rights and developed in-house by Antengene, has been approved to enter clinical studies in Australia and China, thus becoming the first oral small molecule CD73 inhibitor entering the clinical-stage in China and the wider Asia Pacific region. The patient enrollment for the Phase I study of ATG-037 is currently underway in Australia.

KEYTRUDA® is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.