Pharmaceutical Business review

Viventia cancer combination therapy shows effectiveness

Viventia is currently enrolling patients in its phase III clinical trial that is expected to complete accrual by the end of 2007.

The combination of Proxinium with cisplatin, carboplatin, paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and docetaxel resulted in a significant additive cytotoxic effect as compared to the chemotherapeutic agents administered alone. The combination of Proxinium with radiotherapy led to a synergistic cytotoxic effect when Proxinium was administered after radiotherapy or additive effects when Proxinium was administered before or at the same time as radiotherapy.

“These data offer exciting possibilities for the use of Proxinium not solely as a local immunotherapy, but more importantly as an adjunct to the current first-line therapies and even as a precursor to surgery,” said Dr Barry Wenig, head of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Cancer at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Centre.