Melanoma trial recruitment accelerating

Viralytics (ASX:VLA) has announced that patient recruitment for its phase II trial of oncolytic virus Cavatak in late-stage melanoma has accelerated significantly.

The company has now recruited 25 of the approximately 63 patients it intends to sign up for the trial. Of these, 12 patients have been recruited in the past three months. 

“The rapid increase in patient recruitment is very encouraging,” Viralytics CEO Dr Malcolm McColl said. He added that the company aims to increase the number of US sites participating in the trial to as many as 15 over the next few months.

Viralytics commenced patient treatment in the study in January last year. The company is conducting the trial across eight US sites.

Each patient will receive 10 intratumoural injections of Cavatak and can elect to receive an additional nine doses in a 48-week extension trial. The primary goal of the trial is to investigate the safety and efficacy of Cavatak in stage IIIC or stage IV melanoma.

An earlier phase I trial of Cavatak in solid tumours indicates that the treatment is well-tolerated.

Cavatak is Viralytics’ formulation of coxsackievirus type 21A, a virus that binds to the ICAM-1 cell receptor overexpressed in a variety of cancer types.

The company is currently researching the use of Cavatak to treat bladder cancer. The product also has potential applications in prostate and breast cancer, multiple myeloma and other cancers.

Viralytics shares were trading 3.33% higher at $0.310 as of around 2:30 pm on Thursday.