Pfizer drops brain cancer vaccine
pharmafile | September 7, 2010 | News story | Research and Development | Celldex Therapeutics, Pfizer, cancer vaccine
Pfizer has dropped its experimental brain cancer vaccine rindopepimut, handing back worldwide rights to Celldex Therapeutics from November.
Rindopepimut targets the tumour-specific molecule epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII) in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
Pfizer Vaccines was developing it as part of an agreement with US biotech firm Celldex, but terminated the 2008 deal after deciding it was no longer a “strategic priority”.
Celldex is putting a brave face on Pfizer’s u-turn, insisting that the rindopepimut (CDX-110) programme “has advanced significantly”.
“We believe the programme is very well-positioned to advance into pivotal clinical studies and that the GBM market remains extremely attractive,” says Celldex chief executive Anthony Marucci.
“There is a significant need for new therapies for GBM and we are fully committed to developing rindopepimut for the patients who suffer from this fatal disease,” he added.
But cancer vaccines have a chequered recent history – in fact, the only one to make it to the market so far has been Dendreon’s prostate cancer drug Provenge, which received FDA approval in May.
Rindopepimut has been assessed in three open-label phase II clinical studies in more than 110 patients with GBM confirmed positive for EGFRvIII expression.
The drug has demonstrated improvements in median-time-to-disease progression, progression-free survival and overall survival compared to the standard of care.
Celldex expects new data from the ACT III study will be presented at November’s 2010 Society for Neuro-Oncology Scientific Annual Meeting in Montreal.
In June, Merck Serono was allowed to resume non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) trials of its cancer vaccine candidate Stimuvax.
They had been put on ice in March after one patient in phase II trials for multiple myeloma developed the potentially fatal brain swelling encephalitis.
But the company’s phase III STRIDEc trials for advanced breast cancer with the BLP25 liposome vaccine remain suspended.
However, earlier this month French biotech firm Transgene received positive scientific advice from the European Medicines Agency for late stage trials of its own vaccine candidate.
Immunotherapy drug TG4010 is being tested in combination with chemotherapy in patients with advanced MUC1 expressing NSCLC.
Adam Hill
Related Content
NHS accepts Pfizer’s tafamidis for ATTR-CM treatment
NHS England has announced that it has accepted Pfizer’s drug, tafamidis, for the treatment of …
Pfizer’s Beqvez approved by FDA for haemophilia B treatment
Pfizer has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Beqvez (fidanacogene …
EC approves Pfizer’s Emblaveo for multidrug-resistant infection treatment
Pfizer has announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorisation for Emblaveo (aztreonam-avibactam) …
