On September 24, 2021 Targovax ASA (OSE: TRVX), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing immune activators to target hard-to-treat solid tumors, reported that the European Patent Office has granted EU Patent no EP3402889 (Press release, Targovax, SEP 24, 2021, View Source [SID1234590250]). The patent covers the use of ONCOS-102 in combination with chemotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma.
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Torbjørn Furuseth, Chief Financial Officer of Targovax, said: "We are delighted that this EU patent has been granted, further strengthening Targovax’s intellectual property portfolio. The 24-month data from our ONCOS-102 trial in mesothelioma demonstrates encouraging survival data in this area of large medical need. Securing this patent protects our innovative oncolytic immunotherapy platform and strengthens our future market position."
Targovax’s lead product candidate, ONCOS-102, is a genetically modified oncolytic adenovirus, which has been engineered to selectively infect cancer cells and activate the immune system. In June 2021, the 24-month follow-up in the malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) trial showed that median overall survival (mOS) for patients in first-line treatment with ONCOS-102 plus chemotherapy will be between 21.9 and 25.0 months, which is very encouraging in this patient population. For the first-line standard of care (SoC)-only control group mOS is 13.5 months, which is similar to outcomes from previously reported trials where patients received the same chemotherapy treatment. In this open label phase I/II trial, ONCOS-102 has been tested in first and second (or later) line MPM patients to assess safety, immune activation, and clinical efficacy of the combination of ONCOS-102 to SoC chemotherapy (pemetrexed/cisplatin).
Based on these encouraging pre-clinical and clinical effects associated with broad immune activation, the US FDA granted ONCOS-102 Fast Track designation for MPM in February 2021. Targovax has previously received orphan drug designation for MPM in both the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency.