Merck and Pfizer will begin co-promoting Xalkori in the U.S., Canada, Japan and five European Union countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K.
In the U.S. and Canada, Xalkori will be co-promoted by EMD Serono, the US and Canadian biopharmaceutical businesses of Merck.
Xalkori will be co-promoted in two waves, the first of which will begin in the second and third quarters of 2015 in the U.S., Canada, Japan and five European Union countries. The second wave will begin in 2016, and includes China and Turkey.
In 2015, Merck will receive a reimbursement associated with its promotion of Xalkori, followed by an 80 percent (Pfizer), 20 percent (Merck) profit sharing on the product starting in 2016. The co-promotion term will last through 2020 for the first wave and from Jan. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2021 in China and Turkey. Pfizer will report the sales of Xalkori in countries where it is co-promoted with Merck.
This co-promotion relationship is related to the announcement in November 2014 of a global strategic alliance between Merck and Pfizer to jointly develop and commercialize avelumab, an investigational anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, to accelerate the development of immuno-oncology medicines for patients with cancer. The immuno-oncology alliance will also advance Pfizer’s PD-1 antibody.
