On December 1, 2021 VBI Vaccines Inc. (Nasdaq: VBIV) (VBI), a biopharmaceutical company driven by immunology in the pursuit of powerful prevention and treatment of disease, reported that David E. Anderson, Ph.D., VBI’s Chief Scientific Officer, will present updated 12-month and 18-month overall survival (OS) data from the Phase 2a study investigating VBI-1901, the Company’s cancer vaccine immunotherapeutic candidate targeting recurrent glioblastoma (GBM), at the World Vaccine & Immunotherapy Congress at 3:10 PM PT / 6:10 PM ET on December 1, 2021 (Press release, VBI Vaccines, DEC 1, 2021, View Source [SID1234596359]).
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Building on the data announced in June 2021, which supported the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granting VBI-1901 Fast Track Designation for the treatment of recurrent GBM patients with first tumor recurrence, the updated data highlighted in Dr. Anderson’s presentation include:
Study arm 1 : VBI-1901 + granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)
18-month OS : 30% (n=3/10)
One patient remains on protocol past week 86, with a 93% tumor reduction relative to initiation of treatment at the beginning of the study
Two additional patients achieved OS of at least 20 months, but are no longer on protocol
Study arm 2 : VBI-1901 + GSK’s AS01 adjuvant system2
12-month OS : 70% (n=7/10)
18-month OS not yet reached
With few options for recurrent GBM patients, historical control data have demonstrated OS to be ~60% at 6-months and ~30% at 12-months after treatment with a monotherapy1.
"Data from the Phase 1/2a study have shown encouraging efficacy signals, including durable tumor responses and improvements in overall survival compared to historical controls, with a promising tolerability profile," said Patrick Y. Wen, M.D., Director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, and principal investigator of the INSIGhT trial. "These results merit further investigation especially as GBM patients have very limited treatment options, signaling a critical need for innovative new therapies to be assessed in the clinic. We will continue to evaluate VBI-1901 in the INSIGhT trial, with the hope of providing primary GBM patients alternative treatment options."
"We are very excited to be sharing these results as part of the World Vaccine & Immunotherapy Congress, and are inspired, in particular, by and for the patient who has achieved a 93% tumor reduction," said Dr. Anderson. "If we are able to replicate the tumor responses and overall survival data seen to-date in the next phases of development, we believe VBI-1901 could become a meaningful addition to a treatment field with very few options. We look forward to evaluating VBI-1901 in both primary and recurrent GBM settings and strive to provide hope for patients battling either stage of this aggressive and devastating brain cancer."
Next Steps for VBI-1901
Based on the data seen to date in the Phase 1/2a study in recurrent GBM patients, VBI expects to assess VBI-1901 in randomized, controlled clinical studies in both primary and recurrent GBM patients in the next phase of development.
Recurrent GBM :
Expected Q1 2022 initiation of enrollment of expanded number of patients in ongoing study in recurrent GBM, subject to discussions with the FDA, increasing study size and adding a control arm to support the potential for application for accelerated approval based upon tumor response data and improvements in overall survival
Primary GBM :
Beginning mid-year 2022, VBI expects to evaluate VBI-1901 in new investigational treatment arms of INdividualized Screening Trial of Innovative Glioblastoma Therapy (INSIGhT), a Phase 2 adaptive platform trial
Patients will be randomized against a standard of care control arm, temozolomide in combination with radiotherapy, with a primary objective of improved overall survival in the frontline setting
To learn more about VBI’s ongoing Phase 1/2a study and the INSIGhT trial, visit clinicaltrials.gov (Respective Identifiers: NCT03382977 and NCT02977780).
World Vaccine & Immunotherapy Congress Presentation Details
Title: Development of eVLP platform for viral associated cancers
Presenter: David E. Anderson, Ph.D., VBI’s Chief Scientific Officer
Date: Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Time: 3:10 PM PT / 6:10 PM ET
About Fast Track Designation
The Fast Track program facilitates the expedited development and review of new drugs or biologics that are intended to: 1) treat serious or life-threatening conditions, and 2) demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs. A therapeutic that receives Fast Track Designation is eligible for some or all of the following: 1) more frequent meetings with FDA to discuss the development plan and data needed to support approval, 2) more frequent written communication from FDA relating to the design of the proposed clinical trials and use of biomarkers, 3) Accelerated Approval and Priority Review, if relevant criteria are met, and 4) Rolling Review, which means the company can submit completed sections of its Biologic License Application (BLA) or New Drug Application (NDA) for review by FDA, instead of waiting until all sections of the application are completed.
Fast Track Designation was granted to VBI-1901, adjuvanted with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), for the treatment of first-recurrent GBM.
About VBI-1901 and GBM
VBI-1901 is a novel cancer vaccine immunotherapeutic candidate developed using VBI’s enveloped virus-like particle (eVLP) technology to target two highly immunogenic cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens, gB and pp65. Scientific literature suggests CMV infection is prevalent in multiple solid tumors, including glioblastoma (GBM). GBM is among the most common and aggressive malignant primary brain tumors in humans. In the U.S. alone, 12,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The current standard of care for treating GBM is surgical resection, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. Even with aggressive treatment, GBM progresses rapidly and has a high mortality.