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- Imugene (IMU) has dosed its first patient with PD1-Vaxx in the phase one clinical trial for its lung cancer treatment
- PD1-Vaxx is an immunotherapy drug that is designed to treat tumours such as lung cancer
- The phase one trial includes patients with non-small cell lung cancer and will test the dosage, safety, efficacy, tolerability and immune response to the drug
- CEO Leslie Chong says the first patient dosed in Australia is a significant milestone for Imugene
- On the market this morning, Imugene is up 4.17 per cent and is trading for 12.5 cents per share
Imugene (IMU) has dosed its first patient in its phase one clinical trial for lung cancer treatment.
In August, the company commenced the trial using its immunotherapy drug PD1-Vaxx in Australia.
For the phase one study, patients with non-small cell lung cancer will be tested on three different dosages of the drug. The aim of the phase one study is to determine safety and optimal biological dose as a monotherapy (mOBD), as well as the efficacy, tolerability and immune response.
To determine the mOBD, Imugene will need successive dosing within each cohort of at least three patients. It will then be reviewed by the cohort review committee, who will look at the safety and tolerability data of the drug once the last patient in each cohort has completed 30 days of treatment.
If the committee confirms a particular dose as safe and tolerable, approval is then given to enrol patients to the next dose level. Then, the highest dose level with the best immune response becomes the mOBD.
CEO Leslie Chong says the first patient dosed in Australia is a significant milestone for Imugene.
“Accomplishing this goal speaks to the perseverance and dedication of Imugene’s
clinical and research team as we continue to build on our clinical and commercial potential,” she said.
“The concept of teaching and inducing the body to generate its own antibodies targeting PD-1 expressing cells represents a paradigm shift in oncology and is a novel treatment method for cancer,”she added.
The Australian Lung Foundation estimates 12,800 Australians are diagnosed with lung cancer each year.
On the market this morning, Imugene is up 4.17 per cent and is trading for 12.5 cents per share at 10:26 am AEDT.
