CALGARY, April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (“Oncolytics”) has completed patient enrolment in the dose escalation portion of its U.K. clinical trial to evaluate the anti-tumour effects of systemic administration of REOLYSIN(R) in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin in patients with advanced cancers including head and neck, melanoma, lung and ovarian.
“The preliminary results from this combination trial are very encouraging,” said Dr. Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Oncolytics. “This study was the first to begin examining the use of REOLYSIN(R) with drug combinations that are used in first or second line therapy.”
The principal investigators are Dr. Kevin Harrington of The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and Dr. Geoff Hall of St. James’s Hospital in Leeds, U.K.
The trial (REO 011) has two components. The first is an open-label, dose-escalating, non-randomized study of REOLYSIN(R) given intravenously with paclitaxel and carboplatin every three weeks. Standard dosages of paclitaxel and carboplatin were delivered to patients with escalating dosages of REOLYSIN(R) intravenously. The second component of the trial includes the enrolment of a further 12 patients at the maximum dosage of REOLYSIN(R) in combination with a standard dosage of paclitaxel and carboplatin.
Eligible patients include those who have been diagnosed with advanced or metastatic solid tumours such as head and neck, melanoma, lung and ovarian cancers that are refractory (have not responded) to standard therapy or for which no curative standard therapy exists. The primary objective of the trial is to determine the Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD), Dose-Limiting Toxicity (DLT), recommended dose and dosing schedule and safety profile of REOLYSIN(R) when administered in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin. Secondary objectives include the evaluation of immune response to the drug combination, the body’s response to the drug combination compared to chemotherapy alone and any evidence of anti-tumour activity.
In the U.K. and the U.S., approximately 350,000 people are diagnosed annually with head & neck, melanoma, lung and ovarian cancers.
About Oncolytics Biotech Inc.
Oncolytics is a Calgary-based biotechnology company focused on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer therapeutics. Oncolytics’ clinical program includes a variety of Phase I/II and Phase II human trials using REOLYSIN(R), its proprietary formulation of the human reovirus, alone and in combination with radiation or chemotherapy. For further information about Oncolytics, please visit www.oncolyticsbiotech.com
For more information about paclitaxel and carboplatin, please visit www.bms.com
This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements, including the Company’s expectations related to the U.K. combination REOLYSIN(R)/paclitaxel and carboplatin clinical trial and the Company’s belief as to the potential of REOLYSIN(R) as a cancer therapeutic, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the availability of funds and resources to pursue research and development projects, the efficacy of REOLYSIN(R) as a cancer treatment, the tolerability of REOLYSIN(R) outside a controlled test, the success and timely completion of clinical studies and trials, the Company’s ability to successfully commercialize REOLYSIN(R), uncertainties related to the research and development of pharmaceuticals and uncertainties related to the regulatory process. Investors should consult the Company’s quarterly and annual filings with the Canadian and U.S. securities commissions for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements.
CONTACT: Oncolytics Biotech Inc.: Cathy Ward, 210, 1167 Kensington Cr NW,
Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1X7, Tel: (403) 670-7377, Fax: (403) 283-0858,
cathy.ward@oncolytics.ca; The Equicom Group: Nick Hurst, 325, 300 5th Ave.
SW, Calgary, AB, T2P 3C4, Tel: (403) 538-4845, Fax: (403) 237-6916,
nhurst@equicomgroup.com; The Investor Relations Group: Erika Moran, 11
Stone St, 3rd Floor, New York, NY, 10004, Tel: (212) 825-3210, Fax: (212)
825-3229, emoran@investorrelationsgroup.com
