Gene and cell therapy group Oxford Biomedica PLC (LON:OXB) got a boost today from “encouraging” results from a Phase I/II clinical trial involving its MVA-5T4 immunotherapy product, TroVax for patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
The biotech firm said a presentation by clinical investigators, given in a poster session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology and Society for Imumunotherapy of Cancer Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium in Orlando, Florida on February 23, showed that patients given TroVax and low dose cyclophosphamide (CPM) demonstrated “significant anti-5T4 immune responses” by treatment day 43.
The group added that secondary analysis revealed that both CPM and TroVax independently induced “highly beneficial anti-tumour immune responses, resulting in significant survival of end stage colorectal cancer patients, without any major toxicity.”
Oxford Biomedica noted that this was the first randomised study to show a benefit of immunotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer patients.
Commenting on the trial results, John Dawson, Oxford Biomedica’s chief executive officer said: "The presentation by the Clinical Investigators of the Phase I/II TaCTiCC study at the ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology symposium showed the potential benefit that Oxford BioMedica's immunotherapy (TroVax®) treatment could give to patients with advanced colorectal cancer."
In early trading, Oxford Biomedica shares were up 2.3%, or 0.09p at 4.00p.