Viralytics commences bladder cancer trial

Viralytics (ASX:VLA) has commenced a phase I trial of its Cavatak cancer treatment candidate in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

The company has enrolled the first of an expected 30-40 patients in the CANON (Cavatak in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer) trial.

The two-part, open-label dose escalation study will take place in the UK. It will seek to evaluate the safety and tolerability of Cavatak alone and its use in combination with chemotherapy mitomycin C.

Cavatak will be given prior to standard therapy to patients scheduled to undergo transurethral resection surgery to treat their disease. Cavatak will be delivered via a catheter both as a monotherapy and in conjunction with mitomycin C.

During lab testing Cavatak increased cancer-killing activity in cancer cell lines when combined with the chemotherapeutic.

Viralytics is also currently trialling Cavatak in late-stage melanoma as part of its CALM (Cavatak in late-stage melanoma) study, as well as in melaboma, prostate, lung or metastatic bladder cancers in its STORM (systematic treatment of resistant malignancies) trial.

The STORM study commenced in March last year, while the CALM trial reached its primary endpoint in September 2013.

A separate trial of Cavatak in combination with YERVOY in late-stage melanoma is due to commence in the US this quarter.

“With the commencement of this study, we now have clinical trials underway to assess Cavatak across a range of significant cancer indications and by several routes of administration,” Viralytics Managing Director Dr Malcolm McColl commented.

“Leveraging our technology in this manner positions us well to advance new treatment approaches for several difficult-to-treat cancers, to the benefit of patients and investors alike.”

Viralytics (ASX:VLA) shares were trading 1.5% lower at $0.31 as of around 1 pm on Tuesday