Prima BioMed (ASX: PRR) is an Australian health care company focused on technologies in the fields of cancer immunotherapy and immunology. Prima’s lead product is the CVac™ ovarian cancer therapy treatment. It has completed two successful clinical trials and is progressing toward eventual commercialisation in the United States, Australia, Europe, and globally. The Company’s broader, long term goal is to develop commercial cancer treatment technologies and programs for global markets.
The company has announced that it has commenced patient enrollment in CANVAS (CANcer VAccine Study), a clinical trial for the CVac™ ovarian cancer therapy vaccine. Its first patient was recruited in the United States. CANVAS "is a multinational, multi-centre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of CVac™ as a maintenance treatment for epithelial ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer in complete remission. The Study will enrol 800 women to assess those who are in complete remission after completing first-line treatment (surgery and chemotherapy) for ovarian cancer."
Prima BioMed Chief Executive Officer Martin Rogers commented,
“We are excited to have commenced patient enrollment for our major CVac™ trial. This represents a significant milestone in CVac™’s development timeline to date. The ability to embark on such a large scale study across multiple sites in different continents is a testament to the commitment and expertise of the Prima team, and also for the potential for CVac™ to provide a viable, commercially available treatment option for ovarian cancer patients globally.”
With its first patient now enrolled in the study, The Company expects to ramp-up enrollment through sites in Europe, Australasia and the US through 2012.