South Korea-based DxVx will conduct its own clinical trials of OVM-200, an anti-cancer vaccine from Oxford Vacmedix (OVM) by license-in agreement and develop further with its own new drug development knowledge. Currently, the vaccine has completed a Phase 1a clinical trial in the first half of this year and is expected to start a Phase 1b trial soon.

OVM is a spin-off company from Oxford University in the UK, and Dx&Vx is the largest shareholder with a 43% stake.

OVM-200 has achieved successful results in a Phase 1a clinical trial and a new publication in Advanced Therapeutics comprehensively reviews the rationale and preclinical results for OVM-200 both alone and in combination. A Phase 1b clinical trials are under discussion to be conducted in the UK by OVM and in Asia, including Korea and China, by Dx&Vx.

OVM-200 is a therapeutic vaccine that enters the body and kills cancer cells. Over time, even if new cancer cells arise, immune cells remember and eliminate the cancer cells.

In particular, the ROP (Recombinant Overlapping Peptide) technology used in OVM-200 cancer vaccines significantly enhances immunity and vaccine efficacy. In addition, the targeting of survivin (anti-apoptotic protein), which is closely related to cancers, and the fact that DxVx has a large number of experts with rich experience in the new drug development and commercialszation are also considered to be differentiators.

A DxVx official said that they plan to complete the license-in process soon and proceed with Phase 1b and Phase 2 clinical trials in major Asian countries (Korea, China and considering India in the future). They will try to launch it through an accelerated approval that will allow patients to benefit early from effective drugs before all clinical trials are completed around 2027. They are also considering collaborations with global Big Pharma if necessary in the future.