MERCK, VERTEX ANNOUNCE FIRST CLINICAL STUDY FOR AURORA KINASE INHIBITOR, VX-680, IN SOLID TUMOR CANCERS

Merck & Co. and Vertex Pharmaceuticals have begun a Phase I clinical study for VX-680, a small molecule inhibitor of Aurora kinases, in patients with solid tumor cancers.

The open-label, dose-escalation study conducted at two major cancer treatment centers is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of VX-680 when administered in multiple cycles to patients with solid tumors refractory to prior chemotherapy treatment. The initiation of this clinical study is supported by VX-680's activity in both in vitro and in vivo cancer models. Merck and Vertex plan to initiate additional Phase I studies of VX-680 this year.

Aurora kinases are implicated in the onset of many human cancers, and Aurora kinase inhibitors such as VX-680 have the potential to play an important role in the treatment and management of a wide range of tumor types.

In June 2004, Vertex and Merck entered into a global collaboration to develop and commercialize VX-680. Along with clinical development, Vertex and Merck are conducting a joint research program to characterize VX-680's activity across a broad range of cancer types and will seek to identify additional drug candidates targeting the Aurora kinases.