Arrowhead Enters into Antibody Candidate Evaluation Agreement with Merck

Arrowhead Research Corporation

, a targeted therapeutics company, today announced that it entered into an agreement with Merck, through a subsidiary, to undertake an evaluation of a novel proprietary therapeutic monoclonal antibody candidate derived from Arrowhead's human-derived peptide targeting and discovery program. Arrowhead acquired this program through its purchase of Alvos Therapeutics in April 2012. Merck will bear the costs involved in evaluating the candidate. “We are excited to be working with Merck as they evaluate this antibody candidate,” said Dr. Chris Anzalone, President and Chief Executive Officer of Arrowhead. “We believe that our human-derived library of targeting peptides and novel receptors is the world's largest and can be used with many classes of drugs across multiple indications to enhance efficacy and decrease side effects.”