Merck to Provide Provantage® End-to-End Services to Acticor Biotech SAS

- Accelerates development and manufacture of Acticor's antibody fragment that treats ischemic stroke

DARMSTADT, Germany, Dec. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced that it will provide its Provantage® End-to-End services to Acticor Biotech SAS for accelerated development and manufacturing of Acticor's antibody fragment used for the primary treatment of ischemic stroke.

Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/MERCK-Acticor-Biotech.mp4
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161130/444451

Merck's Provantage^® End-to-End solution is a comprehensive suite of products and services enabling biopharmaceutical companies to accelerate progress of molecules into the clinic and toward commercialization.

"Our Provantage^® End-to-End solution will provide Acticor with a fast and flexible approach to development and clinical-scale manufacturing," said Udit Batra, member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. "We look forward to executing full process development for the antibody fragment, which will help accelerate this important new molecule through the pipeline to patients in need."

The turnkey package includes process development, cGMP clinical manufacturing, quality and regulatory support, training, commercial facilities design, engineering and build-up as well as production equipment supply and process technical transfer activities.

"Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the world and the first cause of disabilities in adults," said Gilles Avenard, CEO, Acticor Biotech. "Motivated by these statistics, we are developing innovative therapeutic strategies for safe and effective emergency treatment of the acute phase of ischemic strokes. Through our collaboration with Merck, we now have access to a comprehensive set of development and manufacturing services that will help us deliver on our mission."

Merck's Provantage^® End-to-End solution delivers important benefits and addresses key challenges for biopharmaceutical companies at all life cycle stages in any geography, including established biopharmaceutical companies decentralizing manufacturing that must rapidly and efficiently establish local production capabilities. With an end-to-end approach, Merck can facilitate and accelerate transfer of an entire process to a new location. Early-stage companies with limited manufacturing capabilities, resources and infrastructure benefit from a partner with best-in-class unit operations and the support and expertise to develop processes and production facilities.

All Merck news releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck website. Please go to www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.

About Merck
Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2015, Merck generated sales of € 12.85 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. The company holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

About Acticor Biotech
Acticor Biotech is bio-pharmaceutical company, spin-off of Inserm, founded late 2013, dedicated to developing an innovative treatment in the therapy of acute ischemic stroke.

Acticor is developing ACT-017, a Humanized Antibody Fragment (Fab). The therapeutic candidate is directed against a novel target of major interest, platelet glycoprotein VI (GPVI), and inhibits its action. Evidence of antithrombotic efficacy of ACT-017 and safety of inhibition of GPVI have been established both ex vivo and in vivo. The target is involved in the growth of the thrombus, but not in physiological hemostasis. This limits the bleeding risk associated with its inhibition.

Acticor Biotech is built upon expertise and results of researches conducted by the founders: Dr. Martine Jandrot-Perrus and Dr Christian Gachet, in two INSERM units, and Professor Philippe Billiald at Paris-Sud University.

SOURCE Merck