Clinical Trial for Novel Liver Cancer Drug Begins
(ChemotherapyAdvisor) – The first patient has been treated in a phase 2 clinical trial of intravenous delivery JX-594 in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), according to a July 25 press release from Jennerex Biotherapeutics (San Francisco, CA). This multinational, single-arm, open-label clinical trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous treatment with JX-594 for patients with advanced HCC who have not received treatment with sorafenib – the current standard of care for this patient population.According to Jennerex, JX-594 is one of a series of first-in-class, targeted oncolytic poxvirus-based immunotherapies designed to selectively target and destroy cancer cells through 3 diverse mechanisms of action: lysis of cancer cells, destruction of tumor blood supply, and stimulation of the body's immune response against cancer cells.
Previous clinical trials in several cancer types have demonstrated that JX-594, when delivered either directly into tumors or intravenously, is capable of inducing tumor shrinkage and/or cell death and is well-tolerated by patients.
In this trial, the investigators aim to determine “the radiographic response rate based on modified RECIST and modified Choi criteria, followed by subsequent determination of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).”
The trial is being conducted at sites in South Korea, the United States, and Europe.
