Singapore: Viralytics reported strong interim results from its phase II clinical trial of Cavatak treatment in late stage melanoma patients. The interim data shows solid progress towards achieving the primary endpoint of the study and strengthens the evidence of the tolerability of Cavatak in late stage melanoma patients.

Dr Robert Andtbacka, the lead study investigator from the Huntsman Cancer Institute in the US, presented the safety and investigator assessed efficacy data from the first 35 patients in the Calm study at the 8th World Congress of Melanoma, Hamburg, Germany.

The primary endpoint measured is immune related Progression Free Survival (irPFS) at six months after first dose of Cavatak. Progression free survival is the length of time during and after treatment that the patient lives with the cancer without it worsening. It includes patients that achieve a complete tumor response1, partial tumor response or stable disease.

Dr Andtbacka commented that, "These interim results with Cavatak are encouraging and it is pleasing to see activity in both injected and metastatic tumors. Oncolytic immunotherapy is a promising new class of investigational agents with potential future application either as a monotherapy, a pre-treatment prior to surgery or use in combination with other new frontline therapies".

Dr Malcolm McColl, CEO, Viralytics, said that, "We are very pleased to present these encouraging interim results to oncologists from the global melanoma community. The results to date are very promising both with regard to tolerability and our solid progress towards the primary endpoint. These interim results have been achieved in advanced melanoma patients with 74 percent at stage IV disease and an average of 2.9 prior treatments before the first dose of Cavatak, reinforcing how difficult it is to successfully treat melanoma."