OncoSil Medical (ASX:OSL) has recruited the first subject outside Australia for its Global Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Study Programme, at The University of Leicester in the UK.
The company’s lead product, OncoSil™ is a targeted radioactive isotope, implanted directly into a patient’s pancreatic tumours via an endoscopic ultrasound.
Treatment with OncoSil™ is intended to deliver more concentrated and localised beta radiation compared to external beam radiation.
The company has already conducted four clinical studies with encouraging results on tolerability, safety and efficacy.
A CE Mark application to commercially sell OncoSil™ in the European Union (EU) is under review.
18 patients have now been recruited for the company’s global pancreatic cancer clinical study program, up from 13 patients on 31 July.
Importantly, the data from all 18 patients is eligible to contribute to the 20-subject Supplemental Data Request to secure the CE Marking.
Pancreatic cancer is typically diagnosed at a late stage, when there is a poor prognosis for long-term survival.
The World Cancer Research Fund estimated that in 2012, 338,000 people globally were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or liver cancer, is the 6th most common cancer in the world with 782,000 new cases diagnosed in 2012.
The value of the hepatocellular cancer market is expected to triple in size to $1.4 billion by 2019.