A few news events over the last 24 hours caught our attention and in effort to connect the dots we are highlighting them in the context of what impact it may have on the space. Oncothyreon ($ONTY) presented data (actually their partner Merck KGaA) at the American Society of Hematology on Stimuvax.
Stimuvax is a cancer vaccine that targets the MUC-1 antigen (same one that Prima's CVAC targets). The data presented was from the phase 2 trial in Multiple Myeloma (MM). Two phase 3 trials are now ongoing:
- Lung cancer "START" trial, and
- "INSPIRE" (Asian patients).
The Phase 2 data presented in Multiple Myeloma looks early but encouraging. The next big data point that investors are watching is the interim look (the second one) for the P3 trial, which should happen in Q3-2012.
What investors may not realize is that PrimaBioMed (ASX: PRR) is also targeting the MUC-1 antigen but using sensitized dendritic cells (just as Dendreon has done successfully with Provenge). PrimaBioMed CEO Martin Rogers has been working on listing this Aussie stock on a US exchange. We think watching Oncothyreon and its impact on PrimaBioMed will be an important connection for investors to watch. See Prima BioMed @ ProActive.