Dragonfly Therapeutics, Inc. has entered into a clinical collaboration with Merck (known as MSD outside the US and Canada), to evaluate DF9001, Dragonfly's EGFR immune engager, in combination with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), in patients with advanced solid tumors expressing EGFR.

"Merck, a trusted leader in drug development, has been a wonderful collaborator with Dragonfly since we signed our first collaboration agreement in 2018," said Bill Haney, Co-Founder and CEO of Dragonfly Therapeutics.

"We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Merck for our ongoing, investigational Phase 1 trial of DF9001. In preclinical models, DF9001 engages multiple immune effector cells to drive anti-tumor activity and induces PD-L1 expression in tumor cells, sensitizing cold tumors to checkpoint inhibitors. We are hopeful that DF9001 in combination with KEYTRUDA will drive potent anti-tumor activity in a broad range of indications and are excited to further accelerate progress in the clinic to benefit patients in need," Haney added.

Dragonfly is the study sponsor and first patients are expected to receive DF9001 in combination with pembrolizumab in Q4 2024.

Clinical trial sites are currently open for monotherapy dosing in the US, with additional sites in North America and Europe expected to open in 2024.