Dako To Collaborate With Merck To Develop Diagnostic Tests For Cancer Treatment

(RTTNews) - Dako, an Agilent Technologies (A) company, announced Thursday that it has entered into a master framework agreement with Merck to develop companion diagnostic tests for oncology drugs currently in Merck's development pipeline. The financial terms of the master framework agreement were not disclosed.

The market for companion diagnostics is steadily growing, as personalized medicine may improve patient care and manage healthcare costs by targeting treatments to individuals more likely to benefit from specific therapies.

Dako collaborates with many top-tier pharma companies to develop companion diagnostics, with a record of successful long-term partnerships with companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. Dako continues to attract new partners, most recently Eli Lilly, Pfizer and now Merck.