Nouscom announced that it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with MSD (Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA), to evaluate Nouscom's wholly-owned lead candidate, NOUS-209, in combination with MSD's anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) versus KEYTRUDA alone in randomized Phase 2 trials in patients with Mismatch Repair/Microsatellite Instable High (dMMR/MSI-H) Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (CRC). NOUS-209 is an off-the-shelf immunotherapy targeting 209 specific, shared neoantigens found in dMMR/MSI-H unresectable or metastatic gastric, colorectal and gastro-esophageal junction tumors. The Phase 2 study includes two cohorts in dMMR/MSI-H unresectable and metastatic CRC assessing the efficacy and safety of NOUS-209 in combination with pembrolizumab at multiple active sites across Europe and the US (NCT04041310).

Under the terms of the agreement, MSD will supply KEYTRUDA. Nouscom retains all worldwide commercial rights to NOUS-209.