Jumping into the cancer vaccine arena, Merck has signed a global licensing agreement with Opko Health’s subsidiary, ModeX Therapeutics, for a vaccine candidate MDX-2201 targeting the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) which could be worth up to US$922.5 M plus royalties. Merck and OPKO Health will collaborate to advance the candidate to the IND stage, after which Merck will be responsible for further clinical development and commercialisation. The agreement combines OPKO's innovative platforms with Merck's discovery and clinical development expertise to potentially benefit EBV infected patients.