A Phase II trial of the experimental treatment SurVaxM, under development by the biotechnology company MimiVax LLC, has produced encouraging interim results for treating patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. The full article can be read here, at GlobeNewsWire.
Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of cancer that affects the brain and/or spinal cord. Approximately 20% of brain tumours are glioblastomas. Since this form of cancer is able to create a blood supply to support its growth, it is particularly likely to grow and spread. Glioblastomas are also diffuse, which means that they grow tendrils that spread into other areas of the brain. This means that surgery, which is currently one of the main treatments, if often unable to remove it all. The remaining parts of a tumour may be treated using chemotherapy and radiation. There is a huge unmet need for effective treatments of glioblastoma, making new treatments a priority area of research.
The treatment under development, SurVaxM, has produced promising results from the interim analysis of a Phase II clinical trial. The study, carried out on patients who were newly diagnosed with glioblastoma, found a 12-month overall survival rate of 91% of patients taking SurVaxM in combination with the standard therapy, compared to 61% of participants who were receiving the standard-of-care treatment. In addition, 96% of the combination group reached six—month survival without progression, whereas 54% of those taking the historical standard-of-care did. Out of the 63 participants on the trial, 13 remain progression-free for over twelve months. The study’s senior author, Robert Fenstermaker, M.D., says,
“We believe this drug has the potential to change the glioblastoma treatment paradigm.”
