Extends patent protection of ONCOS-102 in combination with checkpoint inhibitors into the US
Oslo, 9 March 2021: Targovax ASA (OSE: TRVX), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing oncolytic viruses to target hard-to-treat solid tumors, today announce that the US Patent Office has granted US Patent no 10,940,203. The patent covers the use of ONCOS-102 in combination with checkpoint inhibitors (CPI).
Torbjørn Furuseth, Chief Financial Officer of Targovax, said: “We are delighted that this US patent has been granted, further strengthening Targovax’s intellectual property portfolio covering the very important combination of ONCOS-102 and anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitors. The results from our melanoma trial presented in December 2020, confirmed ONCOS-102’s ability to turn refractory tumors into response. Securing this patent protects our innovative oncolytic immunotherapy platform and strengthens our market position.”
In December 2020 Targovax announced that the combination of ONCOS-102 and checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) demonstrated 35% best objective response rate (ORR) in anti-PD1 refractory malignant melanoma patients. Systemic effects were also observed in multiple patients, including two examples where a non-injected lesion completely regressed. In this open label phase 1 trial the combination of ONCOS-102 and the anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab has been tested in patients with advanced, unresectable melanoma who have had disease progression despite treatment with anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor. This is a particularly challenging patient population, which is refractory to approved immunotherapies and has few treatment alternatives available.
Targovax’s lead product candidate, ONCOS-102, is a genetically modified oncolytic adenovirus, which has been engineered to selectively infect cancer cells and activate the immune system. On the back of very encouraging data in several indications, in monotherapy and in multiple combination, the planned development steps for ONCOS-102 is a registrational-directed trial in checkpoint inhibitor refractory melanoma.
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For further information, please contact:
Renate Birkeli, Investor Relations
Phone: +47 922 61 624
Email: renate.birkeli@targovax.com
Media enquires:
Andreas Tinglum – Corporate Communications (Norway)
Phone: +47 9300 1773
Email: andreas.tinglum@corpcom.no
IR enquires:
Kim Sutton Golodetz – LHA Investor Relations (US)
Email: kgolodetz@lhai.com
Phone: +1 212-838-3777
About Targovax
Activating the patient’s immune system to fight cancer
Targovax (OSE:TRVX) is a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing immune activators to target hard-to-treat solid tumors. Targovax aims to unlock greater clinical benefits in cancer patients by deploying multifunctional platforms to target key immune regulators and oncogenic drivers. Targovax’s focus is to “activate the patient’s immune system to fight cancer”, thus extending and transforming the lives of cancer patients with targeted therapeutic cancer immunotherapies. Targovax’s pipeline aims at different cancer indications, including melanoma, mesothelioma and colorectal cancer. The products are designed to harness the patient’s own immune system to fight the cancer, whilst also delivering a favorable safety and tolerability profile.
Targovax’s lead product candidate, ONCOS-102, is a genetically modified oncolytic adenovirus, which has been engineered to selectively infect cancer cells and activate the immune system to fight the cancer. On the back of very encouraging data in several indications, in monotherapy and in multiple combination, the next development steps for ONCOS-102 will involve a clinical trial with registration intent in checkpoint inhibitor refractory melanoma.