Medicenna Announces March 31, 2018 Year-End Results and Provides Update on Clinical Program

On June 27, 2018 Medicenna Therapeutics Corp. ("Medicenna" or the "Company") (TSX: MDNA, OTCQX: MDNAF), a clinical stage immunotherapy company, reported its operational and financial results for the year ended March 31, 2018 (Press release, Medicenna Therapeutics, JUN 27, 2018, View Source [SID1234527482]).

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"We are quite pleased with the progress we have made this year," said Fahar Merchant, PhD, Chairman, President and CEO. "We are past the mid-stage of the Phase 2b clinical trial of MDNA55 in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM), a uniformly fatal form of brain cancer, and have seen early signs of tumor response and impressive overall survival rate at 6 months (OS-6) of 90 percent following a single treatment with low doses of MDNA55. With exceptional drug distribution and a desirable safety profile to date, we plan to treat the remaining patients before the end of 2018 at the higher maximum tolerated dose with an option for repeat treatment in patients showing benefit. We have also accelerated the development of MDNA109, the only CD122 biased high-affinity IL-2 in development, designed to selectively stimulate cancer-fighting T and natural killer (NK) cells and expect to have a long-acting lead candidate in the next six months. Finally, we graduated to the main board of the TSX and listed on the OTCQX. We have laid the groundwork for success in fiscal 2018 and look forward to achieving key milestones in fiscal 2019."

Program updates for the year ended March 31, 2018 are as follows:

MDNA55

On October 10, 2017, results from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) funded on-going Phase 2b rGBM study were presented at the 2017 Congress of Neurological Surgeons (Boston, MA) demonstrating successful delivery in brain cancer patients and a reassuring safety profile for MDNA55 as well as a substantially higher proportion of the target tissue being covered than in similar previously conducted trials. In some cases, close to 100 percent of the tumor and the 1cm margin around it (at risk for tumor spread) had been successfully covered.

In November, further drug distribution and safety data were presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (San Francisco, CA) on the first 15 patients in the study confirming earlier results presented at the 2017 Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

On May 2, 2018, Medicenna announced that half the patients in the ongoing Phase 2b study of MDNA55 in recurrent glioblastoma had been recruited and that the data to date demonstrated solid safety results and early signals of efficacy based on the findings of the Safety Review and Clinical Advisory Committees, comprised of key opinion leaders and study investigators. Following the recruitment milestone, the protocol was amended to implement optimal methodologies for treatment of the remaining patients, including more personalized dosing based on tumor load, incorporation of advanced imaging to more reliably measure treatment responses, and the ability to administer a second dose of MDNA55 where appropriate.

On April 27, 2017 we announced the issuance of a US Patent related to our lead clinical candidate MDNA55. U.S. Patent 9,629,899, issued to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and licensed exclusively to Medicenna, covers the combination of MDNA55 with other anti-cancer therapeutic agents.
Superkine Platform

MDNA109 is an IL-2 Superkine licensed from Stanford University and has been engineered to make existing cancer therapies work for more people. By selectively boosting the cancer fighting T and NK cells, it can dramatically improve the anti-tumor activity of treatments such as checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, CAR-T therapies and oncolytic viruses. New long-acting variants of MDNA109 have shown promising early pre-clinical results in aggressive models of melanoma when administered sub-cutaneously (under the skin) potentially allowing convenient once weekly or bi-weekly treatments as opposed to daily intravenous (IV) infusions.

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office issued Medicenna a patent related to the Company’s Superkine platform. U.S. Patent 9,738,696, issued to the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University ("Stanford") and licensed exclusively to Medicenna, covers the composition of engineered IL-4 Superkines.
Operational Highlights

On August 1, 2017, the Company announced the graduation of its common shares to the main board of the TSX, the premier stock exchange in Canada.

On September 21, 2017, the Company appointed William W. Li, MD, an experienced oncology drug development expert, to its Board of Directors.

On October 18, 2017, the Company’s common shares were listed on the OTCQX, a segment of the OTC marketplace reserved for high-quality non-U.S. companies, under the symbol, "MDNAF."
Annual Financial Results

Net loss for the year ended March 31, 2018 was $7,465,452, compared to a net loss of $7,631,265 for the year ended March 31, 2017. The decrease in net loss in the year ended March 31, 2018 compared with the year ended March 31, 2017 was primarily a result of one-time costs incurred in the prior year including a liquidity payment and a non-cash listing expense of $1,784,414 resulting from the reverse takeover transaction completed in the year ended May 31, 2017. These decreases from the prior year were offset by increased spending on the Phase 2b clinical trial of MDNA55 as well as increased costs incurred on the pre-clinical pipeline, specifically MDNA109 during the year ended March 31, 2018.

Research and development expenses for the year ended March 31, 2018 were $5,090,146, compared to $4,229,110 for the year ended March 31, 2017. The increase is primarily due to costs associated with the initiation of discovery and pre-clinical activities associated with the Superkine programs including MDNA109 as well as the development of MDNA57 (second generation MDNA55). In addition, clinical costs increased significantly in the current year due to patient treatment and related expenses in the Phase 2b clinical trial of MDNA55 for which the first patient was treated in April 2017. These increases were partially offset by reduced costs associated with the manufacture, testing and stability studies of MDNA55 drug product, as well as lower licensing, patent legal fees and royalty expense due to the one-time liquidity payment discussed above.

General and administrative expenses for the year ended March 31, 2018 were $2,334,684, compared to $1,684,671 for the year ended March 31, 2017. The increase is primarily due to higher stock-based compensation expense, fees associated with the graduation of Medicenna’s common shares from the TSX Venture exchange to the main TSX Board, the OTCQX listing, investor relations activities and fees paid to the Board of Directors. The noted increases are partially offset by lower salary and benefit costs in the year ended March 31, 2018 due to severance costs incurred in the prior year as well as lower legal, professional and finance expenses in the year ended March 31, 2018 due to costs related to the reverse takeover transaction incurred in the prior year.

Medicenna had a cash balance of $3,938,734 at March 31, 2018.

Outlook

The Company will focus on completing patient enrollment for its Phase 2b clinical trial for MDNA55 in the fourth quarter of calendar 2018 and expects top-line clinical results in early 2019. Medicenna also plans to select a MDNA109 lead candidate with extended half-life characteristics.

Trovagene Announces Preliminary Clinical Data from First Dosing Cohort Demonstrating Durable Treatment Effect of PCM-075 in Combination with Cytarabine or Decitabine in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory AML

On June 27, 2018 Trovagene, Inc. (NASDAQ: TROV), a clinical-stage oncology therapeutics company, developing targeted therapeutics for the treatment of hematologic and solid tumor cancers, reported preliminary clinical data from the first dosing cohort showing a treatment effect with PCM-075 in combination with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) or decitabine, as measured by decreases in leukemic cells in both peripheral blood and bone marrow in patients in its ongoing Phase 1b/2 trial in relapsed or refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) (Press release, Trovagene, JUN 27, 2018, View Source [SID1234527483]).

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Both blood and bone marrow samples were obtained from patients with relapsed or refractory AML enrolled in the Phase 1b/2 trial prior to, and at timepoints following administration of PCM-075, in combination with cytarabine or decitabine. In the first dose level, seven patients were treated with PCM-075 at 12 mg/m2 in combination with either LDAC or decitabine. One patient was not evaluable for safety due to rapid disease progression. Among the other 6 patients, no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were observed that would prohibit further escalation of the PCM-075 dosing. Three patients exhibited substantial reductions in the percentage of both circulating leukemic cells within the blood and leukemic cells within the bone marrow. Two of these three patients continued on treatment in the second cycle and further decreases in circulating leukemic cells in the blood and within the bone marrow were observed. One patient had a decrease in his bone marrow blasts from 96% to 40% at the end of cycle 2 and has continued on treatment in cycle 3. The next dose level cohort of PCM-075 at 18 mg/m2 in combination with LDAC or decitabine is currently enrolling and dosing patients.

In addition, Translational Control Tumor Protein (TCTP), which is uniquely phosphorylated by PLK1, was used to evaluate PLK1 inhibition by PCM-075. Data presented by Trovagene at the 2018 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) showed that PCM-075 decreases phosphorylated TCTP (pTCTP) in AML cell lines. In these same cell lines pTCTP levels were unaffected by treatment with either LDAC or decitabine.

PLK1 inhibition in the Phase 1b/2 AML trial is being assessed in patients 3-hours following administration of PCM-075 in combination with LDAC or decitabine, when PCM-075 levels are expected to be at their peak concentration (Cmax). Significant reductions in PLK1, as measured by pTCTP levels, were observed in the circulating blood cells in four of six patients treated with PCM-075 in combination with cytarabine or decitabine. Three of these four patients also had significant reductions in circulating blast cells during the treatment cycle.

"While we are still quite early in the trial, these data points are encouraging from both a safety and efficacy standpoint," said Amer Zeidan, MBBS, MHS, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, and Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, a leading investigator on the trial. "There were no dose limiting toxicities seen in the first cohort and treatment was generally well tolerated. We know that treatment with decitabine or low-dose cytarabine in patients with relapsed or refractory AML is rarely effective, and the rare patients who do respond usually require several cycles of therapy to do so. Seeing substantial blast reductions in blood and bone marrow achieved in several patients in the first one to two cycles at this first dose level of PCM-075, combined with significant reductions in PLK1 activity as measured by pTCTP levels, potentially suggests synergistic clinical activity with the combination therapy. We remain excited to see how our patients will do as we go to higher dose levels of PCM-075."

"In addition to the preliminary clinical data from our first dose cohort, we are encouraged by the additional pharmacodynamic data for patients in our Phase 1b/2 AML trial," said Dr. Mark Erlander, Chief Scientific Officer of Trovagene. "This is the first time we have observed a change in PLK1 status in patients during treatment with PCM-075 in combination with either LDAC or decitabine."

About the PCM-075 Phase 1b/2 Acute Myeloid Leukemia Trial

The Phase 1b/2 trial (NCT03303339) is a multi-center, open-label trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PCM-075 in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapy in AML patients who are ineligible for intensive induction therapy or whose disease is relapsed or refractory. In Phase 1b dose-escalation segment of the trial, the primary objective is to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D), using a traditional 3+3 design. In Phase 2 the MTD or RP2D will be administered to 32 patients to evaluate preliminary antitumor activity and to continue to evaluate the safety and tolerability of PCM-075 in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapy. This trial is being led by Hematologist Jorge Cortes, M.D., Deputy Department Chair, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Amer Zeidan, MBBS, MHS, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, and Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT. Nine clinical sites are currently activated in the U.S. and recruiting patients.

About PCM-075

PCM-075 is a highly-selective adenosine triphosphate (ATP) competitive inhibitor of the serine/threonine polo-like-kinase 1 (PLK 1) enzyme, which is over-expressed in multiple hematologic and solid tumor cancers. Separate studies with other PLK inhibitors have shown that inhibition of polo-like-kinases can lead to tumor cell death, including a Phase 2 study in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) where response rates up to 31% were observed when used in conjunction with a standard therapy for AML (low-dose cytarabine-LDAC) versus treatment with LDAC alone with a 13.3% response rate. A Phase 1 open-label, dose escalation safety study of PCM-075 has been completed in patients with advanced metastatic solid tumor cancers and published in Investigational New Drugs. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) in this trial was 24 mg/m2. Trovagene has an ongoing Phase 1b/2 clinical trial with PCM-075 in AML that was accepted by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and is now publicly viewable on www.clinicaltrials.gov. The NCT number assigned by clinicaltrials.gov for this study is NCT03303339. PCM-075 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA for the treatment of patients with AML. Trovagene is enrolling a Phase 2 trial of PCM-075 in combination with Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) and prednisone in metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer that was accepted by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and is now publicly viewable on www.clnincaltrials.gov. The NCT number assigned by clinicaltrials.gov for this study is NCT03414034.

PCM-075 only targets the PLK1 isoform (not PLK2 or PLK3), is orally available, has a 24-hour drug half-life with reversible on-target hematologic toxicities. Trovagene believes that targeting only PLK1 with reversible on-target activity and an improved dose/scheduling protocol can significantly improve on the long-term outcome observed in previous studies with a PLK inhibitor in AML.

PCM-075 has demonstrated synergy in preclinical studies with over 10 chemotherapeutic and targeted agents used in hematologic and solid tumor cancers, including FLT3 and HDAC inhibitors, taxanes, and cytotoxins. Trovagene believes the combination of its targeted PLK1 inhibitor, PCM-075, with other compounds, has the potential for improved clinical efficacy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC), Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), as well as other hematologic and solid tumor cancers.

FDA grants Priority Review to Roche’s baloxavir marboxil for the treatment of influenza

On June 26, 2018 Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a New Drug Application (NDA) and granted Priority Review for baloxavir marboxil as a single-dose, oral treatment for acute, uncomplicated influenza in patients 12 years and older (Press release, Hoffmann-La Roche, JUN 26, 2018, View Source [SID1234527464]). The FDA is expected to make a decision on approval by 24 December 2018. A Priority Review designation is granted to medicines that the FDA has determined to have the potential to provide significant improvements in the treatment, prevention or diagnosis of a disease.

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"The severity of the recent flu season underscores the need for new options beyond currently available treatments, and if approved, baloxavir marboxil would be the first flu medicine with a novel proposed mechanism of action in nearly 20 years," said Sandra Horning, M.D., chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. "Baloxavir marboxil has been shown in clinical trials to decrease the duration of symptoms with one dose, and demonstrated a significant reduction in viral shedding in just one day. We look forward to working with the FDA during the review process."

Baloxavir marboxil is a first-in-class, single-dose investigational oral medicine with a novel proposed mechanism of action designed to target the flu virus, including oseltamivir-resistant strains and avian strains (H7N9, H5N1).7,8,9 Unlike other currently available antiviral treatments, baloxavir marboxil is designed to inhibit the cap-dependent endonuclease protein within the flu virus, which is essential for viral replication.10,11

The NDA is based on results from the phase III CAPSTONE-1 study of a single dose of baloxavir marboxil compared with placebo or oseltamivir 75 mg, twice daily for five days, in otherwise healthy people with flu. Additionally, results from a placebo-controlled phase II study in otherwise healthy people with the flu is included as supporting data in the NDA.

About CAPSTONE-1
CAPSTONE-1 is a phase III multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that evaluated the efficacy and safety of baloxavir marboxil in 1,436 people in the United States and Japan. The primary endpoint of the study was time to alleviation of symptoms (TTAS), and important secondary endpoints were time to resolution of fever, time to cessation of viral shedding and the proportion of participants positive for influenza virus titre, or virus levels in the body, by time point. The study found the following results:

Baloxavir marboxil met its primary and secondary endpoints compared to placebo:
Significantly reduced the duration of flu symptoms by more than one day (median time 53.7 hours versus 80.2 hours; p<0.0001);
Significantly reduced the duration of fever by nearly a day (median time 24.5 hours versus 42.0 hours; p<0.0001);
Significantly reduced the length of time viruses continued to be released from the body (median time of viral shedding; 24.0 hours versus 96.0 hours; p<0.0001);
Significantly reduced the levels of virus in the nose and throat from 24 hours through 120 hours.
Similar efficacy results were seen between baloxavir marboxil and oseltamivir in relation to duration of symptoms and fever reduction, but significant differences were observed in time to cessation of viral shedding favouring baloxavir marboxil:
No significant reduction in duration of symptoms (median time 53.5 hours versus 53.8 hours; p=0.7560);
No significant reduction in time to resolution of fever (median time 24.4 hours versus 24.0 hours; p=0.9225);
Significantly reduced the length of time the virus continued to be released from the body (viral shedding; 24.0 hours versus 72.0 hours; p<0.0001);
Significantly reduced the levels of virus in the nose and throat at 24 hours and 72 hours.
Baloxavir marboxil was well-tolerated and had a numerically lower overall incidence of adverse events (20.7%) reported compared with placebo (24.6%) or oseltamivir (24.8%). The most common adverse events reported were diarrhoea (3.0%), bronchitis (2.6%), nausea (1.3%) and sinusitis (1.1%), and all of these adverse events occurred at a lower frequency than placebo.

About baloxavir marboxil
Baloxavir marboxil is a first-in-class, single-dose investigational oral medicine with a novel proposed mechanism of action designed to target the influenza ("flu") A and B viruses, including oseltamivir-resistant strains and avian strains (H7N9, H5N1).7,8,9 Unlike other currently available antiviral treatments, baloxavir marboxil is the first in a new class of antivirals designed to inhibit the cap-dependent endonuclease protein within the flu virus, which is essential for viral replication.

Baloxavir marboxil is being studied in an ongoing phase III development program including paediatric populations with influenza. Data from the global phase III study (CAPSTONE-2) in patients 12 years and older with a high risk of complications from influenza, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will be shared at a later date.

Baloxavir marboxil was discovered by Shionogi & Co., Ltd. and is being developed globally by the Roche Group (which includes Genentech in the U.S.) and Shionogi & Co., Ltd. Under the terms of this agreement, Roche holds worldwide rights to baloxavir marboxil excluding Japan and Taiwan, which will be retained exclusively by Shionogi & Co., Ltd. Baloxavir marboxil was approved in February 2018 by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for the treatment of influenza types A and B in adult and paediatric patients and is being commercialised in Japan and marketed under the brand name Xofluza.

The Swedish oncology company Oncorena appoints new CEO

On June 26, 2018 Oncorena reported a completely new and potentially groundbreaking treatment for patients with metastatic kidney cancer (Press release, Oncorena, JUN 26, 2018, View Source [SID1234527466]). The company is approaching a more intense development phase that will require a full-time CEO. Lars Grundemar has served as the Chief Scientific Officer of Oncorena and he will now assume the CEO position on July 1, 2018.

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Dr. Jan Törnell has successfully led Oncorena since 2013 as part-time CEO. Because of other ongoing commitments, he is unable to fill this position full-time.

Lars Grundemar, M.D., Ph.D. has more than 20 years leadership experience from the global pharmaceutical industry with assignments in major corporations and different countries in Europe and in the US. Dr. Grundemar has been leading multiple drug development projects across various therapeutic areas, including oncology. He has established new departments and introduced novel ways to improve research and development functions.

"We are excited to work with Lars Grundemar as CEO to bring Oncorena into the clinical phase in the near future," says Bengt-Åke Bengtsson, Chairman of the Board of Oncorena. "We would also like to thank Jan Törnell for his excellent leadership through the company’s preclinical development phase."

"I am very honored over this trust and look forward to this challenge. It’s a great privilege to be able to contribute to the development of a novel therapeutic principle to combat cancer and to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from kidney cancer," says Lars Grundemar, new CEO of Oncorena.

"I strongly believe in the success for Oncorena and I’m certain that the company is in the best of hands moving forward. I will make every effort to contribute to a smooth transition for Lars Grundemar into his new role as CEO," says Jan Törnell, currently CEO of Oncorena.

For further information, please contact
Bengt-Åke Bengtsson, Chairman of the Board, Oncorena AB,
[email protected], phone +46 (0)70 746 0000

Lars Grundemar, CEO of Oncorena from July 1, [email protected],
phone +46 (0) 76 209 5518

Jan Törnell, CEO, Oncorena AB, [email protected]
phone +46 (0)70 676 0008

About kidney cancer
Approximately 1,000 patients are affected by kidney cancer annually in Sweden and around 600 of them die. 80% of the patients are between 40 and 69 years of age when they are diagnosed (median age 63 years). The disease can often be cured with surgery if detected in time, but unfortunately the diagnosis is often made when the tumor has already spread to other organs. The prognosis is then considerably less favorable and certain groups have a median survival of only approx. 1.5 years. Today the disease is treated with various types of targeted and immuno-active drugs, often with severe side effects, and standard chemotherapy drugs have only very limited effect. There is therefore a great need for new, effective and safe drugs.

About the project
The substance, orellanine, originally emanates from a mushroom and has been ingested by mistake by a number of people. The effects are well documented and are limited to the kidneys. As the target group for the treatment is patients with metastatic kidney cancer who are undergoing dialysis the side effect profile is believed to be relatively mild. Experimental studies indicate that the effect may be dramatically positive. The preclinical studies will be completed during 2018, whereupon the clinical study is expected to start in the spring of 2019. Learn more at www.oncorena.com.

Istari Oncology Announces NEJM Publication of Phase 1 Trial Results in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma Treated with PVSRIPO

On June 26, 2018 Istari Oncology, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on novel immuno-oncology and immunotherapy platforms for the treatment of glioblastoma and a wide variety of tumors, reported publication of the results of a Phase 1 trial of PVSRIPO in recurrent glioblastoma in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) (Press release, Istari Oncology, JUN 26, 2018, View Source [SID1234527467]). This trial was conducted by The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke.

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In this trial of 61 adult patients, overall survival at 24 and 36 months was 21%, compared to 14% at 24 months, and 4% at 36 months in matched historical controls. Three patients receiving PVSRIPO have survived beyond 60 months.

"The impressive results with PVSRIPO in this trial are the best we have seen to date in patients with recurrent glioblastoma and provide hope for these patients whose typical survival time is less than a year," said Henry S. Friedman, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Istari and James B. Powell, Jr. Professor of Neuro-Oncology and the Division Chief for Neuro-Oncology in The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center in the Department of Neurosurgery at Duke. "Based on the observation that the receptor for PVSRIPO, CD155, is present on almost all solid tumors, we look forward to future trials in other cancers, as well as glioblastoma, both alone and in combination with other agents, as we strive to provide hope for these patients as well."

The primary objective of the Phase 1 study was to determine the toxicity profile and Phase 2 dose for intratumoral convection enhanced delivery of PVSRIPO in WHO grade IV malignant glioma (glioblastoma). The secondary objective was to estimate overall survival compared to an historical control group. From May 2012 to May 2017, 61 consecutive adult patients with recurrent WHO grade IV malignant glioma with measurable disease were enrolled in the study that evaluated seven doses. The median overall survival for all 61 PVSRIPO patients was 12.5 months compared to 11.3 months for the matched historical control group. However, the overall survival of PVSRIPO patients reached a plateau beginning at 24 months with 24- and 36-month overall survival of 21%, while the overall survival in the matched historical control continued to decline with 24-month overall survival of 14%, and 36-month overall survival of 4%. Of these survivors, two patients are beyond 70 months, and one patient is beyond 60 months.

Adverse events affecting more than 20% of patients in the dose-expansion phase included headaches (52%), pyramidal tract syndrome (hemiparesis) (50%), seizure (45%), dysphasia (28%), and cognitive disturbance (25%). The NEJM publication is available at View Source

A multi-center Phase 2 trial of PVSRIPO alone and in combination with chemotherapy in adults with recurrent glioblastoma is currently enrolling, with a primary endpoint of 24-month survival. A Phase 1 trial of PVSRIPO in pediatric patients with recurrent glioblastoma is also currently enrolling. For additional information on clinical trials with PVSRIPO, please visit View Source

Positive preclinical data for PVSRIPO has been generated in multiple solid tumor models, both alone and in combination with other agents, including checkpoint inhibitors. Phase 1 trials are currently planned for PVSRIPO in breast carcinoma and melanoma.

About PVSRIPO
PVSRIPO is the Sabin type 1 polio vaccine, genetically modified so it cannot harm or kill normal cells. PVSRIPO is a prototypic oncolytic recombinant polio virus vaccine that recognizes the poliovirus receptor CD155, which is widely expressed in neoplastic cells of all solid tumors except Burkitt’s lymphoma, and in major immune components of the tumor microenvironment. PVSRIPO has been granted Breakthrough Status and Orphan Status by the FDA.

About Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer, comprising 52% of patients with primary brain tumors. There are approximately 13,000 patients diagnosed with GBM in the United States annually and approximately 18,000 in the European Union. Despite aggressive treatment, survival for newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients is usually less than 20 months, and for patients with recurrence, which occurs in 98% of patients, survival is usually less than 12 months.