In a bid to bolster its prostate cancer pipeline, Merck &Co. has partnered with Orion to develop and commercialise ODM-208, a non-steroidal inhibitor of CYP11A1. The deal, which is worth US$290 M, gives Merck access to Orion’s Phase II asset, ODM-208, a CYP11A1 inhibitor that aims to treat prostate cancer by suppressing the production of steroid hormones. Interestingly, the deal comes four months after Orion decided to refocus its R&D strategy on oncology and pain therapy areas.