FRANKFURT – Thursday saw the end of their partnership on treatment for cancer bintrafuspalfa in Germany. This drug was once considered to be one of Merck’s most promising experimental medicines.

Merck stated that the decision was mutual, mainly due to poor lung cancer trial data. GSK did not make any milestone payments and there are no obligations for future milestones.

Merck KGaA said in January that a late-stage lung cancer study, which was testing bintrafusp alfa against U.S. namesake Merck & Co’s bestseller Keytruda in a certain type of lung cancer was stopped early because the drug was unlikely to show the desired effect.

GSK co-developed the drug along with Merck in a 2019 deal that would have allowed it to pay as much as 3.7 billion Euros ($4.5 billion).

Merck stated that the company would close several bintrafusp studies, which include those on breast cancer, lung cancer and bladder cancer. Merck said that one more trial would be conducted to evaluate the drug’s effectiveness against Cervical cancer.

Family-controlled Merck KGaA and Merck & Co Inc, known as MSD outside North America, share historic roots but have been under separate ownership since World War One.

Merck’s multi-business business is seeing earnings growth. This has been made possible by the rapid availability of biotech supplies. These lab supplies have helped offset slow drug revenue growth.

($1 = 0.8264 euros)