South San Francisco-based Cell Genesys Inc. announced follow-up data from a Phase 2 clinical trial of GVAX(R) immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer in 60 patients with operable pancreatic cancer who received the immunotherapy after surgical resection of their tumor and adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy. The updated results showed a median survival of 26.8 months. This compares favorably with published, historical data from multiple single-arm and randomized studies in patients undergoing pancreatic cancer surgery and adjuvant therapy for whom the median survival has been reported to be in the range of 17 to 22 months, including the most recently reported results for gemcitabine chemotherapy. Of note, 52 of the 60 patients in this study were considered high risk, based on the unfavorable finding that their cancer had spread to regional lymph nodes. Treatment was well tolerated. The details of the follow-up findings were presented by Daniel Laheru, M.D., assistant professor of medical oncology at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, and colleagues, at the 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium held this past weekend in Orlando, FL.

“We are encouraged by the updated survival data of GVAX immunotherapy in this Phase 2 study compared to previously reported results for surgery and adjuvant therapy of resectable pancreatic cancer and we are currently reviewing plans for further development,” said Kristen Hege, M.D., vice president of Clinical Research at Cell Genesys. “We believe these new findings, along with the results from an earlier Phase 1 trial of GVAX immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer, provide further clinical proof-of-concept for the GVAX cancer immunotherapy platform.”

Posted on January 22, 2007 02:47 PM