Study: Immunotherapy Vaccine for Mesothelioma Still Promising

The ONCOS-102 immunotherapy vaccine continues its move toward future, first-line standard of care treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma, based upon the latest study follow-up data. When combined with standard chemotherapy, the genetically modified adenovirus has produced a median overall survival of at least 18.2 months, according to results released in late November from the ongoing clinical trial. Median overall survival was more than four months better than the control group receiving chemotherapy alone in the randomized trial. ONCOS-102 is manufactured by Targovax, a small Scandinavian biotech company focused on oncolytic viruses targeting hard-to-treat solid tumors. “At this point, we’re pretty confident that it will become part of standard of care for mesothelioma in the future,” Dr. Magnus Jaderberg, chief medical officer at Targovax, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “This is exactly what we had hoped to see.” Vaccine Shows Strong Immune System Activation The multicenter study across France and Spain involves 31 patients, 20 of whom received the vaccine/chemotherapy combination, and many of whom had inoperable, advanced-stage disease. At the 18-month follow-up, more than half the participants were still living, sparking a belief that the difference between the two groups will further increase at the next follow-up in 2021. Earlier reports listed the 12-month survival rate at 64% and few side effects beyond what is expected normally with ch...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news