SAN DIEGO, Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoSec Medical Inc. (OTCBB: ONCS), a company developing its advanced-stage ImmunoPulse DNA-based immunotherapy and NeoPulse therapy to treat solid tumors, announces positive preliminary results from a Phase II trial investigating the use of ImmunoPulse in metastatic melanoma patients at the 6th World Meeting of Interdisciplin ary Melanoma Skin Cancer Centres & 8th EADO Congress. This preliminary interim analysis of 13 out of 25 patients supports key findings from a Phase I trial suggesting that ImmunoPulse is able to induce regression or stabilization of distant untreated metastases following a single cycle of treatment.
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A total of up to 25 patients with stage III or IV cutaneous and in-transit metastatic melanoma will be enrolled in this Phase II, single-arm, open-label and multi-center study. The trial was designed to assess local and distant objective response following treatment of cutaneous melanoma lesions with ImmunoPulse. As per the protocol, a preliminary interim analysis was scheduled upon completion of 50 percent enrollment in the study.
The purpose of the analysis was to confirm safety and efficacy observed in the Phase I study. At the time of this preliminary interim analysis, 13 patients were enrolled and treated. Thirteen subjects were evaluable at Day 39, nine at Day 90, and two at Day 180. Ninety-five percent of treated lesions demonstrated response at Day 39 (5 percent progressive disease, 14 percent stable disease (SD), 42 percent partial response (PR), 39 percent complete response (CR)). All treated lesions at Day 90 (5 percent SD, 50 percent PR, 45 percent CR), and at Day 180 (33 percent PR, 67 percent CR) demonstrated a response. At Day 180, two subjects were evaluable for the primary endpoint of objective overall response (ORR). One patient has a confirmed stable disease, and the second patient has a confirmed complete response of all treated and untreated lesions. Analysis of the safety data for the subjects analyzed confirms that intratumoral administration of DNA IL-12 with electroporation is safe and well-tolerated. No related adverse events reported were greater than grade 2, and were generally limited to transient pain related to electroporation treatment.
The preliminary results are being presented in a poster titled “Preliminary Analysis of a Phase II Trial of Intratumoral Delivery of Plasmid Interleukin-12 (pIL-12) with In Vivo Electroporation in Patients with Metastatic Melanoma.” Dr. Adil Daud, principal investigator and co-director of melanoma research at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, is co-author.
These data are also being orally presented at a parallel scientific symposium, hosted by OncoSec, titled “Electrogenetherapy: Intralesional Immunotherapy Approach for Skin Cancers Using Electroporation.” Drs. Adil Daud and Axel Hauschild will chair the event, which will be held on Thursday, November 15 from 6:00-7:00pmBarcelona time. The agenda is as follows:
- Application and Versatility of Electrogenetherapy Dr. Richard Heller
- Clinical Experience: Case presentation and discussion of intralesional injection of plasmid interleukin-12 with electroporation Dr. Adil Daud
- Immune correlates and biomarkers: Immune related responses following intralesional injection of plasmid interleukin-12 with electroporation Dr. David Weiner and Dr. Edward Cha
- Outlook on intralesional immunotherapies for the treatment of metastatic melanoma Dr. Adil Daud
Punit Dhillon, President and CEO of OncoSec Medical, commented, “We are encouraged to have observed at least one complete response based on the evaluable patients that have met the primary endpoint timeline, and we will continue to follow this patient and the others to assess the durability of response. These data validate the results from the Phase I study and effort we have put into this program, while providing further evidence of the potential role of ImmunoPulse as a safe and effective option for treating this aggressive disease.”
Dr. Daud commented, “Preliminary results from this Phase II study appear to offer solid support to the earlier study indicating the efficacy of ImmunoPulse in treating metastatic melanoma. Enrollment in the study is ongoing and expected to be completed by the end of 2012. Long-term follow-up will assess durability of response.”
About the Phase II ImmunoPulse Study
A total of up to 25 patients with stage III or IV cutaneous and in-transit metastatic melanoma will be enrolled in this Phase II, single-arm, open-label and multi-center study. The trial is designed to assess local and distant objective response following treatment of cutaneous melanoma lesions with DNA IL-12 and electroporation with a primary endpoint of 24 weeks. One treatment cycle will consist of three treatments applied to up to four lesions on days 1, 5 and 8 with a maximum dose of 1.5 mg DNA IL-12 per treatment cycle. At 12 months, patients will be moved to the follow-up phase of the study and will be followed for up to five years for safety.
About Melanoma
Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. If it is recognized and treated early, it is almost always curable, but if it is not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. While it is not the most common of the skin cancers, it causes the most deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates that at present, about 123,000 new cases of melanoma in the US are diagnosed in a year, resulting in approximately 10,000 deaths. Melanoma originates in melanocytes, the cells that produce the pigment melanin that colors our skin, hair, and eyes. The majority of melanomas are black or brown, but often they can also be skin-colored, pink, red, purple, blue or white. Currently, there remain few treatment options for patients with late-stage metastatic disease that can extend survival for the broad population.
About OncoSec Medical Inc.
OncoSec Medical Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing its advanced-stage ImmunoPulse DNA-based immunotherapy and NeoPulse therapy to treat solid tumors. ImmunoPulse and NeoPulse therapies address an unmet medical need and represent a potential solution, for less invasive and less expensive therapies that are able to minimize detrimental effects resulting from currently available cancer treatments such as surgery, systemic chemotherapy or immunotherapy and other treatment alternatives. OncoSec Medical’s core technology is based upon its proprietary use of an electroporation platform to dramatically enhance the delivery and uptake of a locally delivered DNA-based immunocytokine (ImmunoPulse) or chemotherapeutic agent (NeoPulse). Treatment of various solid cancers using these powerful and targeted anti-cancer agents has demonstrated selective destruction of cancerous cells while sparing healthy normal tissues during early and late stage clinical trials. OncoSec’s clinical programs include three Phase II clinical trials for ImmunoPulse targeting lethal skin cancers. More information is available at http://www.oncosec.com/.
This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements in this release that are not historical facts may be considered such “forward looking statements.” Forward looking statements are based on management’s current preliminary expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties which may cause our results to differ materially and adversely from the statements contained herein. Some of the potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those predicted include our ability to raise additional funding, our ability to acquire, develop or commercialize new products, uncertainties inherent in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, unexpected new data, safety and technical issues, competition and market conditions. These and additional risks and uncertainties are more fully described in OncoSec Medical’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward looking statements which speak only as of the date they are made. OncoSec Medical disclaims any obligation to update any forward looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they are made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
SOURCE OncoSec Medical Inc.
