GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced a collaboration with Merck KGaA for the co-development and co-commercialisation of M7824 (bintrafusp alfa), a fusion protein immunotherapy agent that targets two pathways commonly used by cancer cells – transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) trap and an anti-programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1). The deal, which comes just months after GSK’s US$5.1 B Tesaro acquisition, gives GSK a first-in-class asset currently in clinical development for hard-to-treat cancers and will complement its growing immuno-oncology pipeline.