Inovio teams up with AIDS Malignancy Consortium for immunotherapy study
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Dr. J. Joseph Kim, president and CEO of Inovio Pharmaceuticals
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BiotechTopic Health CareIndustry Inovio PharmaceuticalsCompany J. Joseph KimPerson Joel PalefskyPerson John George – Senior Reporter, Philadelphia Business Journal
50 minutes ago
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has entered into a partnership with the AIDS Malignancy Consortium to evaluate VGX-3100 as a potential therapy for HIV-positive adult men and women.
The Plymouth Meeting, Pa., biopharmaceutical company is developing VGX-3100, an immunotherapy designed to boost the ability of person's immune system to fight diseases, as a treatment for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated precancerous conditions.
Under the terms of the partnership, the consortium will fund a mid-stage clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of VGX-3100 in adult men and women with HPV-related high-grade anal dysplasia or squamous intraepithelial lesions, and HIV. The goal for the multi-site phase-II study is to enroll about 75 patients, who will receive four doses of VGX-3100.
Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
The AIDS Malignancy Consortium is a National Cancer Institute-supported clinical trials group founded in 1995 to support innovative trials for AIDS-related cancers. The consortium is composed of 36 clinical trials sites worldwide, five working groups, an administrative office, a statistical office, and an operations and data management office.
“The incidence of anal cancer among HIV-positive men and women is unacceptably high," said Dr. Joel Palefsky, a professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the University of California San Francisco. "Better methods to treat the anal cancer precursor, known as anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, are needed in an effort to prevent progression from HSIL to cancer."
Palefsky, founder and chairman of the HPV working group of the NCA AIDS Malignancy Consortium, said the group is encouraged by results of clinical trials studying VGX-3100 in patients with cervical HSIL.
Dr. J. Joseph Kim, president and CEO of Inovio (NASDAQ: INO), said the potential expansion of VGX-3100 to treat anal dysplasia "represents a significant increase in commercial potential" for what is his company's lead product candidate.
Health officials estimate this year 8,000 new cases of anal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, where the condition will cause more than 1,100 deaths. Currently, the only treatments for anal dysplasia consist of surgical excision, electro-cautery or laser therapy. However, in more than 50 percent of the patients who undergo the current treatments, the cancer returns. |
