Viralytics CEO hails cancer virotherapy milestone

Viralytics (ASX:VLA) CEO Dr Malcolm McColl has hailed the results of an Amgen phase III trial as a landmark for the field of oncolytic virotherapy.

Pharmaceutical giant Amgen recently reported on a clinical trial of Talimogene Laherparepvec (T-Vec), a genetically modified herpes virus designed to kill cancer cells.

The trial achieved its goal of a superior continuous partial or complete response rate for at least six months in T-Vec compared to control-treated patients.

Dr McColl said the results bode well for the emerging discipline of fighting cancer with viruses.

“This is a milestone event for the field of oncolytic virotherapy,” he said. “Amgen’s achievement reflects well on our sector of targeted cancer biologics, encouraging further pivotal clinical evaluation of such novel oncolytic agents.”

Viralytics is currently in clinical trials for its own oncolytic virus candidate, Cavatak. Cavatak is based on coxsackievirus type 21A, a virus that binds to the ICAM-1 cell receptor highly expressed in a range of cancer types.

The company yesterday announced that it has now signed up 25 patients for an in-progress phase II trial in melanoma. Viralytics is also researching using the product to treat bladder cancer.

Viralytics shares were trading 3.17% higher at $0.325 as of around 2:30 pm on Friday.