Merck: Data Show Erbitux Safe, Reasonably Effective

German drugs and chemicals group Merck KGaA said on Monday two studies had shown its key colorectal cancer drug Erbitux is safe and reasonably effective in combination with standard chemotherapies. Merck said data from one of the trials, a mid-stage or Phase II study, showed that Erbitux was safe and effective when combined with the standard first-line treatment of oxaliplatin, folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil, known as the FOLFOX-4 regimen.