Merck KGaA’s ATR cancer drug cleared for further trials after phase 1 trial success

Merck KGaA’s ATR inhibitor cancer drug has been cleared for further clinical trials after it showed encouraging activity in a phase 1 study. The drug known as berzosertib works by blocking a key DNA repair protein called ATR and could be used in patients who have not responded to other drugs targeting cancer cells’ DNA damage repair systems.