Genexine of Korea entered a clinical research collaboration with Merck/MSD to test a two-drug combination as a treatment for HPV-induced cancer. The regimen will combine Genexine’s HPV therapeutic DNA vaccine and MSD’s PD-1 immunotherapy, Keytruda®. In a Phase I (solo) trial, the Genexine candidate, GX-188E, produced complete remissions of patients’ CIN3 (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) lesions in seven out of nine patients. Genexine did not disclose China plans for its drug, though the company usually out-licenses products to a domestic China pharma. Presently, neither the Genexine drug nor Keytruda is approved for China use.
