$RXii Pharmaceuticals phase 2 results NeuVax

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation presented Phase 2 efficacy results for NeuVax in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin; Genentech/Roche). RXi is developing NeuVax, a CD8 T-cell eliciting immunotherapy, for the adjuvant treatment of low to intermediate HER2 expressing breast cancer. Data from the E75 Phase 2 breast cancer trial and another CD8 T cell eliciting peptide were analyzed, and the control arms of each trial were combined for this analysis. Of 187 patients enrolled in the E75 trial, 108 received vaccine and 79 were in the control arm. Of the vaccine treated patients 15 received Tz. A total of 32 patients in the combined control arms received Tz (trastuzumab). The recurrance rate for the control arm was 12.5% (4/32), comparable with reported rates of similarly staged and treated patients. The recurrance rate for the NeuVax +Tz arm was 0% – no patients receiving vaccine after adjuvant Tz relapsed. A total of 30 patients were treated with Tz followed by vaccine, with zero patients recurring (0/30, p=0.06). NeuVax consists of the E75 peptide derived from HER2 combined with the immune adjuvant granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Treatment with NeuVax stimulates cytotoxic (CD8+) T cells in a highly specific manner to target cells expressing any level of HER2. NeuVax is given as an intradermal injection once a month for six months, followed by a booster injection once every six months.

via RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp (RXII.O) Key Developments | Reuters.com.