OT: Vical posts new data from Allovectin-7 study
SAN DIEGO
Vical Inc. reported new results from a midstage trial of its cancer drug candidate Allovectin-7 on Wednesday, and the results appeared to bode well for other studies of the treatment.
Vical said 15 patients in the study out of a total of 127 had a response to a high dose of the drug, meaning their tumors shrank or disappeared after treatment. Median duration of response was 13.8 months, and median survival for all patients was 18.8 months. The company said one patient who was treated with Allovectin-7 is still alive after five and a half years.
Vical stock rose 33 cents, or 9.8 percent, to $3.70 in midday trading.
No severe side effects or withdrawals from the drug were reported, the company said. The study was made up of patients who had not responded to chemotherapy, or were not able to receive it. Their median age was 60, Vical said.
Allovectin-7 is designed to create an immune system response to tumors. The company believes it could be used against other cancers in addition to melanoma, or skin cancer.
Vical and its partner AnGes MG are running a late-stage trial of Allovectin-7 as a treatment for melanoma that has metastasized. About 390 patients have been enrolled and the trial should be complete in mid-2011. The late-stage study excludes patients whose cancer has spread to the brain or liver, as well as patients who have previously received chemotherapy and patients with high levels of lactate dehydrogenase, or LDH, which can indicate more aggressive disease.
Vical said Allovectin-7 could be the first new treatment for melanoma in almost 20 years, and estimates that annual sales could reach $500 million in melanoma alone.
businessweek.com 
marketwatch.com |
