Portage Biotech Inc. announced that it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Merck (known as MSD outside the US and Canada) to evaluate Portage's next-generation adenosine antagonists in combination with KEYTRUDA®? (pembrolizumab), Merck's anti-PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) therapy, for patients with solid tumors. The collaboration will explore Portage's adenosine 2A receptor (A2AR) antagonist, PORT-6, its adenosine 2B receptor (A2BR) antagonist, PORT-7, individually and together in combination with KeyTRUDA in prostate, renal, head and neck, colorectal, endometrial, ovarian and non-small cell lung cancers.

Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will provide KEYTRUDA for Portage Biotech's ADPORT-601, an adaptive Phase 1a/1b trial which plans to integrate proprietary biomarkers for selecting patients with high adenosine expression in order to identify those more likely to respond and have potential to benefit most from treatment. Leading programs in the Portage portfolio include first-in-class invariant natural killer T cell (iNKT) small molecule engagers and best-in-class adenosine antagonists. These programs are being advanced using innovative trial designs and translational data to identify the patient populations most likely to benefit from treatment.

The Company's unique business model leverages a strong network of academic experts and large pharma partners to rapidly and efficiently advance multiple products.