Exelixis, MRK Collaborate for Combination Studies on HNSCC and RCC

Core Viewpoint - Exelixis, Inc. has entered a collaboration with Merck to advance the clinical development of zanzalintinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting multiple cancer pathways, which has led to a 9.4% increase in Exelixis shares year to date, outperforming the industry growth of 6.3% [1][5]. Collaboration Details - Exelixis will evaluate zanzalintinib in combination with Merck's Keytruda for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in a late-stage study [3]. - The collaboration includes evaluating zanzalintinib with Merck's Welireg in a phase I/II study and two phase III studies for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) [4]. - Merck will supply Keytruda for the STELLAR-305 study, while both companies will share funding responsibilities for the trials [5]. Pipeline and Portfolio Expansion - Exelixis is focused on expanding its oncology portfolio beyond its lead drug, Cabometyx, which has shown strong performance, particularly in combination with Bristol Myers' Opdivo [7]. - The FDA has accepted an sNDA for cabozantinib for advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, with a target action date of April 3, 2025 [8]. - Exelixis plans to submit an sNDA for cabozantinib in combination with Tecentriq for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and is advancing phase I efforts for XL309 and XB010 [9]. Strategic Focus - The successful development of additional drugs is expected to broaden Exelixis' portfolio and reduce reliance on Cabometyx [10].