ISA-101

Ultimovac’s UV1 works by inducing T cell response against telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) – a protein that provides the limitless self-renewal hallmark in cancer progression. Image Credit: CI Photos / Shutterstock. Ultimovacs has implemented cash-saving strategies, including a 40% workforce reduction, to extend its reserves into Q4 2025. The operational adjustments are expected to provide a cash runway beyond the anticipated top-line readout from the next two Phase II trials – the FOCUS trial in Q3 this year, and the DOVACC trial in H1 2025. The UV1 cancer vaccine development programme has suffered some setbacks. The company has reported topline data from two Phase II trials, NIPU and INITIUM, for the vaccine used in combination with PD1 inhibitors in two cancer indications, with both trials failing to meet primary endpoints. The Phase II NIPU trial (NCT04300244) evaluated UV1 in combination with Bristol Myers Squibb’s checkpoint inhibitors Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab) as a second-line treatment in mesothelioma patients. The study failed to meet its primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS). The Phase II INITIUM trial (NCT02275416) also evaluated the UV1, Opdivo and Yervoy combination but in patients with unresectable or metastatic malignant melanoma. The study also failed to meet primary endpoints, with the company deciding to stop pursuing the therapy in this indication. See Also: NIH team develops AI tool to predict cancer drug response SGN-1 by Guangzhou Huajin Pharmaceutical Technology for Peritoneal Cancer: Likelihood of Approval Despite this, Ultimovacs expects positive readouts from the next two trials. The Phase II FOCUS trial (NCT05075122) evaluates the combination treatment of UV1 vaccine with MSD’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as a first-line treatment in patients with PD-L1 positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The combination has been successful in the Phase I trial (NCT03538314), with an observed 67% overall survival rate at a three-year follow-up. While the company expects positive data in Q3 this year, it is prepared to wait for data readout from the DUVACC trial before deciding on the fate of UV1 should the FOCUS trial fail, said Ultimovac’s CEO Carlos de Sousa in a business update webcast today. The Phase II DUVACC trial (NCT04742075) evaluates UV1 in combination with AstraZeneca’s checkpoint inhibitor Infinzi (duvalumab) and Lynparza (olaparib), a poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, as a second line treatment in patients with BRCA negative ovarian cancer. The trial is currently recruiting patients, with 40% of the total expected enrolment completed as of Q4 2023. UV1 is also being evaluated in an investigator-led Phase II LUNGVAC trial (NCT05344209). The study investigates the combination therapy of UV1 and Sanofi and Regeneron’s Libtayo (cemiplimab) as a first-line therapy in patients with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. The trial started recruitment in October 2022 and reached only 15% enrolment as of Q4 2023. The topline data from the trial is expected in H1 2026. GlobalData forecasts therapeutic cancer vaccines as the weakest immuno-oncology agent class with relatively low global sales of up to $4bn by 2028, compared to checkpoint modulators sales reaching $120bn by 2028. GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology . Other cancer vaccines in development include Transgene and Japanese NEC Corporation’s cancer vaccine, TG4050 , for the treatment of head and neck cancers and ISA Pharmaceuticals’ cancer vaccine, ISA101b , for treating oropharyngeal cancer.

Study indicates clear route to market despite not meeting the primary endpoint of 6 months' overall response rate (ORR) in the entire population In a predefined subgroup of patients there was a doubling of ORR (51.9% vs 26.7% for placebo) and improved overall survival which sets the stage for a confirmatory Phase 3 trial OEGSTGEEST, The Netherlands, Dec. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ISA Pharmaceuticals B.V. (ISA), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company, today announced positive anti-tumor response data with ISA101b, an HPV16 directed therapeutic cancer vaccine given in combination with Libtayo®, an anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor (CPI). The data were generated in the OpcemISA trial, a large scale randomized double blind study that is ongoing in patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), a type of head and neck cancer. It is the first time that the combination of a tumor-specific therapeutic vaccine and a CPI has generated such high response rates, albeit in a predefined subpopulation of metastatic cancer patients. ISA101b is a therapeutic cancer vaccine targeting cancers caused by the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16). More than 60 percent of head-and-neck cancers are HPV16-related, and incidence rates are going up. ISA101b elicits a powerful and targeted T-cell immune response to the HPV16 virus. OPC is a solid cancer with a high unmet medical need that does not always respond to immunotherapy. Best responses in the OpcemISA trial are found in a subcategory of patients with characteristics suitable for immunostimulatory treatments. Study design & results A total of 199 first- and second-line patients with recurrent/metastatic HPV16+ OPC were enrolled in the OpcemISA trial. Patients were randomized to receive either ISA101b plus CPI, or placebo plus CPI. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR) at 6 months, confirmed by independent central review. The secondary endpoints included drug safety, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Further details can be found at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03669718). Whereas the addition of ISA101b to the CPI led to a doubling of the ORR (from 26.7% to 51.9%) in a large subgroup of patients, the study as a whole did not meet this primary endpoint. Patients in the aforementioned subgroup, predefined based on a validated biomarker, also showed a clear overall survival benefit compared to the placebo arm. ISA101b was well tolerated. Gerben Moolhuizen, Chief Executive Officer of ISA, said, "Recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer is notoriously difficult to treat. Patients suffering from this terrible disease need new treatment options. In our OpcemISA study, ISA101b shows compelling results in a large, predefined subset of patients. This provides us with a clear development path to make ISA101b a treatment option for these patients." Phase 3 and beyond ISA is preparing for a confirmatory Phase 3 trial in this subpopulation of patients. This subgroup represents an important proportion of head and neck cancer patients, and an attractive commercial opportunity. The OpcemISA trial was part of a clinical collaboration between ISA and Regeneron. Regeneron has elected not to exercise its option on the ISA101b asset. ISA is currently in discussions with potential partners with interest in ISA101b and ISA's technology platform in general. About ISA Pharmaceuticals ISA Pharmaceuticals is an immunotherapy company developing treatments for various cancers and infectious diseases. ISA has best-in-class technology to stimulate and activate the human immune system, specifically T cells, to fight diseased or infected cells. Its lead asset ISA101b is in late-stage clinical trials for human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16)-induced cancers in a collaboration with biotechnology company Regeneron. Other assets are in preclinical stage development and include immunotherapies to treat patients that suffer from cancers that over-express PRAME or chronic hepatitis B. For more information, please visit . About ISA101b ISA101b immunotherapy targets human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) positive cancers. It induces strong and specific T-cell immune responses to the HPV16 virus, and (re-)establishes a powerful and targeted T-cell immune response against infected and/or cancerous cells and tissues. ISA101b is using ISA's proprietary Synthetic Long Peptide (SLP®) technology.. In September 2021 ISA101b was granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of recurrent and metastatic HPV16 positive oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). SOURCE ISA Pharmaceuticals