ROCKVILLE, Md. & ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Celera (NYSE:CRA), an Applera Corporation business, today announced a clinical milestone payment of $2 million from Merck & Co., Inc. under the cathepsin K inhibitor collaboration agreement between the companies. This payment recognizes Merck’s advancement of odanacatib (formerly MK-0822), an orally available highly selective inhibitor of the cathepsin K enzyme, into a Phase III clinical trial as a potential treatment for osteoporosis. If this candidate or others developed under the cathepsin K collaboration are advanced further toward commercialization, Celera will receive additional milestone payments and potentially royalties on net sales from Merck.
