AstraZeneca, Merck win red carpet treatment at the FDA as a 3-time loser seeks speedy OK for rare tumors

AstraZeneca’s R&D group doesn’t take failure lying down.

Hit with pivotal setbacks for their MEK 1/2 inhibitor selumetinib in several cancer studies, they regrouped and included it in their $8.4 billion alliance with Merck as the therapy was steered into a Phase II for rare cases of neurofibromatosis type 1, or NF1.