Targovax gives pipeline update

The company reported promising 2-year overall survival data for its RAS mutations-targeting cancer jab TG01. Targovax’ CFO Erik Wiklund presented data showing that 90% of patients with resected pancreatic cancer (29/32) had RAS-specific immune activation that led to a median survival of 33.1 months vs. 27.6 for historical control in 13 of 19 patients (68%) alive 2 years after surgery. vs. 30-53% in historical controls. in the second cohort of the trial, expected to read-out in H1/2018 13 of 13 patients (100%) were alive 1 year after surgery. 

Targovax expects to start an adaptive design pivotal Phase IIb/III study in H2/2018, following read-out of the ongoing two-arm Phase I/II study. While TG1 targets a patient population of about 40,000 patients in the US, China and the EU, the company expects to present read-out data of a Phase Ib study in H1/2019 in patients with colorectal cancer. As 50% of CRC patients carry RAS mutations the target population is estimated at up to 500.000 patients. In lung cancer, in which 30% of patients carry RAS mutations, its quite the same number. Overall, the company’s TG platform targets a third of human cancers.

Wiklund said that he expects first results from a dose-escalation study of the company’s immunoncology booster Oncos 102 + AstraZeneca’s PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab in ovarian and coloroctal cancer in H1/2018. Thereafter, the partnered oncolytic virus programme (with Cancer Research Institute & MedImmune, AZ’s US biologics arm) is expected to be expanded into a Phase II trial.