Antigenics to test cancer drug in leukemia patients
Monday December 16, 4:22 pm ET
By Toni Clarke
NEW YORK, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Antigenics Inc. (NasdaqNM:AGEN - News) said it plans to expand testing of a vaccine it is developing for kidney cancer and melanoma to chronic myeloid leukemia, a blood cancer.
The New York-based biotechnology company said it will begin enrolling patients in a mid-stage, or Phase II trial, early next year after a preliminary trial of five patients showed encouraging results.
Chronic myeloid leukemia is a specific form of leukemia that affects about 5,000 people in the United States. It is characterized by the abnormal proliferation of white blood cells.
Results from Antigenics' early trial, which have yet to be fully analyzed by independent experts, showed that the vaccine, in combination with Gleevec, a drug made by Novartis AG (NOVZn.VX), eliminated the cancer in two patients and led to an improvement in three others.
The results have caught the attention of Brian Druker, chair of leukemia research at Oregon Health and Science University, who is widely considered one of the world's leading experts on the disease.
Druker conducted pre-clinical testing on Gleevec and was the lead investigator in the drug's clinical trials. Gleevec became the fastest drug ever to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Now Druker is keen to become involved with Antigenics' vaccine, and has begun advising the company on the design of its Phase II trial. Even so, he is careful not to draw any conclusions from such early data.
"It's hard to know how excited to get about this," he said. "But this is a promising approach, and I'm eager to pursue it."
Antigenics is developing personalized vaccines derived from each patient's blood. The idea is to supercharge the immune system to identify and eliminate cells that carry the chromosomal mutation that causes the disease.
Like kidney cancer and melanoma, chronic myeloid leukemia has been shown to respond to treatments that boost the immune system. Antigenics' vaccines for kidney and skin cancer are in late-stage clinical trials and have been granted Fast Track approval status by the FDA.
Yet investors have become disillusioned with cancer vaccines over the past five years. With the exception of vaccines that attack cancers caused by an external virus, such as cervical cancer, one after another have proven disappointing. Antigenics is one of dozens of companies working in the field.
Now, though, the tools of biotechnology may have improved enough to bring the dream of a vaccine closer to reality. Mark Monane, an analyst at Needham & Co., said a handful of cancer vaccine companies are beginning to emerge from the pack: Cell Genesys Inc. (NasdaqNM:CEGE - News), Dendreon Corp. (NasdaqNM:DNDN - News) and Antigenics.
"These companies have all shown not only an immunological response but also some clinical importance," he said. "All are using different approaches and it's unclear which is the most promising."
Antigenics' shares rose 47 cents, or 4.4 percent, to $11.10 on Nasdaq. |
