New Data From Phase 2 Brain Cancer Study With Prophage Series G-200 (HSPPC-96) Shows Improved Overall Survival

Agenus AGEN today announced results from a Phase 2 clinical trial testing the Prophage Series G-200 vaccine (HSPPC-96; vitespen) in deadly recurrent brain cancer -- glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) -- in a poster presentation at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, Illinois. The key objectives of the Prophage Series G-200 Phase 2 trial were to evaluate the overall survival rate, safety and immunological activity consistent with a tumor-specific immune response. The primary objective of the trial was to assess the survival rate at 26 weeks, which represents the average survival time for patients experiencing recurrence of their GBM. Results from this trial showed that 93% of the patients were alive at ≥ 26 weeks after surgery and a median overall survival of 11 months (47.6 weeks). Results from pre-defined exploratory analyses of disease progression showed a median progression free survival (PFS) of approximately 5 months (20 weeks). Importantly, measures of immune response post vaccination with Prophage Series G-200 demonstrated a significant tumor-specific CD8+ T-cell response as well as innate immune responses as marked by a significant increase in levels of circulating NK cells. "The robust immune response coupled with improved survival relative to historical controls makes the data from this trial especially encouraging. The safety profile of HSPPC-96 offers a great opportunity for its use in combination with other approved treatments for GBM," said Andrew T. Parsa, MD, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and lead investigator in the trial. "Taken together, the results clearly support advancement of Prophage Series G-200 into later stage randomized trials, and offer an opportunity to add a biologically active and highly well tolerated adjuvant therapy to surgical resection for recurrent GBM patients."