Encouraging Survival With the Combination of AGS-003 Plus Sunitinib in Unfavorable Risk mRCC Published in Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
DURHAM, NC, USA I April 21, 2015 I Argos Therapeutics Inc. (ARGS) (“Argos”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of fully personalized immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on the Arcelis(R) technology platform, today announced that data from a Phase 2 clinical trial of AGS-003, the company’s lead product candidate for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), have been published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. The study findings show that treatment with AGS-003 in combination with sunitinib was safe, well tolerated and associated with immunologic responses and extended survival.
AGS-003 is an autologous immunotherapy that is prepared using a patient’s own dendritic cells and amplified tumor RNA. In the multicenter Phase 2 trial led by Dr. Asim Amin, medical oncologist at the Levine Cancer Institute, encouraging median overall survival of 30.2 months was observed for all patients treated with the combination of AGS-003 plus sunitinib. According to the International mRCC Database Consortium, similar unfavorable risk mRCC patients have an expected overall survival of 14.7 months. In addition, in the Phase 2 trial, patients with intermediate risk experienced a median survival in excess of 5 years. Data presented during the 2014 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium by Dr. Avishay Sella, head of the Department of Oncology at Asaf Harofeh Medical Center in Israel, indicate the expected median survival for intermediate risk mRCC patients treated with sunitinib as their first line targeted therapy is approximately 20.5 months.
“In comparison to the benchmarks established for similar risk mRCC patients treated with targeted therapy, the outcomes in this study were encouraging,” said Dr. Amin. “Mature data from this Phase 2 study suggest the combination of AGS-003 plus sunitinib was safe, well tolerated and associated with doubling of the expected median survival and encouraging long-term and 5-year survival.”
“AGS-003 is designed to generate a patient and tumor-specific immune response,” said study co-author Dr. Robert Figlin, the Steven Spielberg Family chair in hematology oncology and professor of medicine and biomedical sciences at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute. “Observations from this study indicate that an increase in memory T-cells after five doses of AGS-003 was associated with prolonged survival. These important findings are being further evaluated in the ongoing Phase 3 ADAPT study.”
“We are encouraged by the overall and long-term survival outcomes in this intermediate and poor risk mRCC population,” said Doug Plessinger, vice president of clinical and medical affairs of Argos. “We are working aggressively to advance the development of AGS-003 with our ongoing pivotal Phase 3 ADAPT study which is expected to complete enrollment of 450 mRCC patients in mid-2015. We also plan to advance studies of AGS-003 in earlier stages of renal cell carcinoma and other solid tumors later this year.”
The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer paper is titled, “Survival with AGS-003, an autologous dendritic cell–based immunotherapy, in combination with sunitinib in unfavorable risk patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC): Phase 2 study results.”
About the Arcelis(R) Technology Platform
Arcelis(R) is a fully personalized immunotherapy technology that captures mutated and variant antigens that are specific to each patient’s disease. It is designed to overcome immunosuppression by producing a durable memory T-cell response without adjuvants that may be associated with toxicity. The technology is potentially applicable to a wide range of different cancers, and is designed to overcome many of the manufacturing and commercialization challenges that have impeded other personalized cancer immunotherapies. The Arcelis(R) process uses only a small tumor or blood sample and the patient’s own dendritic cells, which are collected and optimized following a single leukapheresis procedure. The proprietary process uses RNA isolated from the patient’s disease sample to program dendritic cells to target disease specific antigens. The activated, antigen-loaded dendritic cells are then formulated into the patient’s plasma and administered via intradermal injection.
About Argos Therapeutics
Argos Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of fully personalized immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer using its Arcelis(R) technology platform. Argos’ most advanced product candidate, AGS-003, is being evaluated in the pivotal ADAPT phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The Company is also developing a separate Arcelis(R)-based product candidate, AGS-004, for the treatment of HIV, currently being evaluated in a phase 2 clinical trial in combination with a latency reversing drug for HIV eradication in adult patients. For more information about Argos Therapeutics, visit www.argostherapeutics.com.
About the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC) is the official journal of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). This open access, peer-reviewed journal not only serves as the global voice of the Society, but also a targeted outlet for the publication of original research articles, literature reviews, position papers and discussion on all aspects of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy—from basic research to clinical application. For more information, visit www.sitcancer.org/journal.
SOURCE: Argos Therapeutics
Post Views: 379
Encouraging Survival With the Combination of AGS-003 Plus Sunitinib in Unfavorable Risk mRCC Published in Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
DURHAM, NC, USA I April 21, 2015 I Argos Therapeutics Inc. (ARGS) (“Argos”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of fully personalized immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on the Arcelis(R) technology platform, today announced that data from a Phase 2 clinical trial of AGS-003, the company’s lead product candidate for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), have been published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. The study findings show that treatment with AGS-003 in combination with sunitinib was safe, well tolerated and associated with immunologic responses and extended survival.
AGS-003 is an autologous immunotherapy that is prepared using a patient’s own dendritic cells and amplified tumor RNA. In the multicenter Phase 2 trial led by Dr. Asim Amin, medical oncologist at the Levine Cancer Institute, encouraging median overall survival of 30.2 months was observed for all patients treated with the combination of AGS-003 plus sunitinib. According to the International mRCC Database Consortium, similar unfavorable risk mRCC patients have an expected overall survival of 14.7 months. In addition, in the Phase 2 trial, patients with intermediate risk experienced a median survival in excess of 5 years. Data presented during the 2014 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium by Dr. Avishay Sella, head of the Department of Oncology at Asaf Harofeh Medical Center in Israel, indicate the expected median survival for intermediate risk mRCC patients treated with sunitinib as their first line targeted therapy is approximately 20.5 months.
“In comparison to the benchmarks established for similar risk mRCC patients treated with targeted therapy, the outcomes in this study were encouraging,” said Dr. Amin. “Mature data from this Phase 2 study suggest the combination of AGS-003 plus sunitinib was safe, well tolerated and associated with doubling of the expected median survival and encouraging long-term and 5-year survival.”
“AGS-003 is designed to generate a patient and tumor-specific immune response,” said study co-author Dr. Robert Figlin, the Steven Spielberg Family chair in hematology oncology and professor of medicine and biomedical sciences at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute. “Observations from this study indicate that an increase in memory T-cells after five doses of AGS-003 was associated with prolonged survival. These important findings are being further evaluated in the ongoing Phase 3 ADAPT study.”
“We are encouraged by the overall and long-term survival outcomes in this intermediate and poor risk mRCC population,” said Doug Plessinger, vice president of clinical and medical affairs of Argos. “We are working aggressively to advance the development of AGS-003 with our ongoing pivotal Phase 3 ADAPT study which is expected to complete enrollment of 450 mRCC patients in mid-2015. We also plan to advance studies of AGS-003 in earlier stages of renal cell carcinoma and other solid tumors later this year.”
The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer paper is titled, “Survival with AGS-003, an autologous dendritic cell–based immunotherapy, in combination with sunitinib in unfavorable risk patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC): Phase 2 study results.”
About the Arcelis(R) Technology Platform
Arcelis(R) is a fully personalized immunotherapy technology that captures mutated and variant antigens that are specific to each patient’s disease. It is designed to overcome immunosuppression by producing a durable memory T-cell response without adjuvants that may be associated with toxicity. The technology is potentially applicable to a wide range of different cancers, and is designed to overcome many of the manufacturing and commercialization challenges that have impeded other personalized cancer immunotherapies. The Arcelis(R) process uses only a small tumor or blood sample and the patient’s own dendritic cells, which are collected and optimized following a single leukapheresis procedure. The proprietary process uses RNA isolated from the patient’s disease sample to program dendritic cells to target disease specific antigens. The activated, antigen-loaded dendritic cells are then formulated into the patient’s plasma and administered via intradermal injection.
About Argos Therapeutics
Argos Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of fully personalized immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer using its Arcelis(R) technology platform. Argos’ most advanced product candidate, AGS-003, is being evaluated in the pivotal ADAPT phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The Company is also developing a separate Arcelis(R)-based product candidate, AGS-004, for the treatment of HIV, currently being evaluated in a phase 2 clinical trial in combination with a latency reversing drug for HIV eradication in adult patients. For more information about Argos Therapeutics, visit www.argostherapeutics.com.
About the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC) is the official journal of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). This open access, peer-reviewed journal not only serves as the global voice of the Society, but also a targeted outlet for the publication of original research articles, literature reviews, position papers and discussion on all aspects of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy—from basic research to clinical application. For more information, visit www.sitcancer.org/journal.
SOURCE: Argos Therapeutics
Post Views: 379
