Oncolytics Biotech Inc. says early test results show its Reolysin® cancer therapy is a safe treatment for people in late stages of the disease.
The Calgary-based company announced last week that its early clinical tests show the drug – which has already been proven effective in animals – caused no side effects at escalating doses in the first 12 of 18 patients.
Patients had primary cancers of the breast, head and neck, melanoma, non-AIDS Kaposi’s sarcoma and other forms of the disease.
“This positive data rewards the tremendous effort of everyone involved,” president and CEO Brad Thompson said in a statement.
“None of the patients to date have experienced any serious adverse events related to the virus nor were there any dose-limiting toxicities detected in any patient.”
The company (ONC-TSE; ONCY-NASDAQ) will begin multiple follow-up trials early next year, Thompson said.
Detailed final results of this study are expected to be presented next year at an international cancer conference, and will include final safety, efficacy and immune data on all the patients, the company said.
Oncolytics is a Calgary-based biotechnology company focused on the development of the human reovirus (REOLYSIN®), as a potential cancer therapeutic. Oncolytics researchers have demonstrated that the reovirus is able to selectively kill cancer cells and, in vitro, kill human cancer cells derived from many types of cancer.
In November last year, Oncolytics entered into a worldwide licensing agreement with Pfizer Inc. for the development and marketing of the reovirus for animal health applications.
