- UV1 immune monitoring data from three Phase I/IIa clinical trials show dynamic T cell responses lasting up to 7.5 years
- Measurable UV1-specific immune response in 91% of patients when combined with checkpoint inhibitor, as compared to 82% and 67% without checkpoint inhibitor
- Immune responses induced more rapidly when UV1 was combined with a checkpoint inhibitor
- Development of UV1-specific immune responses associated with longer survival time
Oslo, 10 May 2022: Ultimovacs ASA (“Ultimovacs”) (OSE ULTI), a clinical stage leader in immune stimulatory vaccines for cancer, announced the presentation of results from long-term follow-up data from three Phase I/IIa clinical. The data is substantiating the clinical relevancy of the UV1-specific immune response and the rationale for combining the Company’s lead product, the universal cancer vaccine UV1, with checkpoint inhibitors.
The data will be presented as a poster at the upcoming Cancer Immunotherapy (CIMT) annual meeting in Mainz, Germany, 10-12 May 2022. The CIMT poster can be found on the Company website.
The poster reports on a long-term follow-up study of the use of the UV1 vaccine. The researchers looked every six months for up to 7.5 years for UV1-specific immune responses in 51 patients enrolled in three early trials of UV1 in malignant melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and prostate cancer.
For patients with malignant melanoma, where UV1 was combined with the checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab, UV1-specific immune responses occurred earlier and more frequently than in patients with NSCLC or prostate cancer where no checkpoint inhibitors were involved. 91% of patients with malignant melanoma showed a detectable immune response within three months.
The high rate and rapid induction of immune responses provide support for synergy between UV1 vaccination and checkpoint inhibition. The data further demonstrate that UV1 vaccination leads to induction of memory T cells with an inflammatory cytokine profile. These cytokines produced by the UV1-specific T cells, including IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha, are considered appropriate in terms of supporting anti-tumor activity. Immune response induction associated with longer survival time, with a median overall survival in immune responders of 54.8 months, compared to 23.4 months in non-immune responders.
“These data – from what we believe to be the longest immune monitoring study of a therapeutic cancer vaccine – are highly relevant to Ultimovacs’ ongoing Phase II programs in which UV1 is combined with various checkpoint inhibitors, as well as to potential future clinical studies. The data shows that the patients’ UV1-specific immune responses may be embedded in immune memory, providing the potential for dynamic long-term defenses against cancer” said Carlos de Sousa, Chief Executive Officer of Ultimovacs.
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About Ultimovacs
Ultimovacs is an immunotherapy company developing immune-stimulatory vaccines to treat a broad range of cancers. Ultimovacs’ lead universal cancer vaccine candidate UV1 targets human telomerase (hTERT), present in 85-90% of cancers in all stages of tumor growth. By directing the immune system to hTERT antigens, UV1 drives CD4 helper T cells to the tumor to activate an immune system cascade and increase anti-tumor responses. With a broad Phase II program in five cancer indications enrolling more than 650 patients, Ultimovacs aims to clinically demonstrate UV1’s impact in multiple cancer types, in combination with other immunotherapies, for patients with unmet needs. Ultimovacs’ second technology approach, based on the proprietary Tetanus-Epitope-Targeting (TET) platform, combines tumor-specific peptides and adjuvant in the same molecule and entered Phase I studies in 2021.
For further information, please see www.ultimovacs.com or contact:
Carlos de Sousa, CEO
Email: carlos.desousa@ultimovacs.com
Phone: +47 908 92507
Anne Worsøe, Head of IR & Communication
Email: anne.worsoe@ultimovacs.com
Phone: +47 90686815
Mary-Ann Chang, LifeSci Advisors
Email: mchang@lifesciadvisors.com
Phone: +44 7483 284 853
This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 in the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
This stock exchange announcement was published by Joachim Midttun, Finance Manager at Ultimovacs ASA, on 10 May, 2022 at 08:00 CET.
