Bavarian Nordic courting cancer vaccine backers
pharmafile | November 12, 2010 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing |Â Â Bavarian Nordic, Dendreon, Prostvac, Provenge, TroVax, cancer vaccine, prostate cancer, prostate cancer vaccine, zibotentanÂ
Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic is in ‘advanced discussions’ with a number of potential pharma partners for its phase II therapeutic cancer vaccine Prostvac.
Bavarian is conducting due diligence on the companies, including ‘some of the largest’ pharma firms, to assist with development and commercialisation of the vaccine, it said.
Prostvac is designed to extend the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer and was granted fast track status by US regulator the FDA in April for use in men whose cancer is worsening despite treatment.
Bavarian hopes to move the vaccine into phase III trials next year and is currently awaiting FDA feedback on its clinical trial protocol, which it expects before the end of the year.
If approved Prostvac would compete with Dendreon’s Provenge, which was approved in May this year.
Like Provenge, Prostvac is intended for use in patients whose disease has recurred after surgery or radiotherapy, and trains the body’s immune system to destroy tumours.
Prostate cancer is a competitive research field at the moment, and one that has seen recent late stage failures such as AstraZeneca’s zibotentan, and prior to that, Oxford BioMedica’s TroVax.
Brett Wells
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