Kvax Cancer Vaccine Available in Australia, US Trial Begins
Sydney, Sep 11, 2014 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Regenerative medicine company, Regeneus (
ASX:RGS) today announced that it had officially launched its Kvax canine cancer treatment within the Australian veterinary market.
Kvax is considered a therapeutic cancer vaccine. A small amount of tumour from the dog is removed and sent to Regeneus' production facility, where a personalised vaccine is created using the dog's own tumour as source material. The vaccine is then administered at three-week intervals over a 12-week period, stimulating the dog's immune system and enabling it to see the cancer cells as foreign. This process helps to prevent further growth of the existing tumour, and the development of new tumours.
Release to market of Kvax follows the safe treatment of a large number of Australian dogs, and demand from vets and veterinary oncologists.
"Some of the patients treated with Kvax have shown amazing results", says Dr Miles Alexander - Veterinarian at Castle Hill Veterinary Practice and one of the early adopters of the Kvax technology. "It's great to have a new treatment option for cancer in dogs."
Dr Duncan Thomson - Head of the Veterinary Business Unit for Regeneus commented, "the Regeneus team is delighted to have brought Kvax to market so quickly with thanks to the excellent team at the Kolling Institute of Medical Research at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital, where it was developed."
"It's estimated that cancer accounts for approximately 23% of all deaths in dogs, while in humans (according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare), it is slightly higher - at approximately 30%. Kvax provides dog owners with a new treatment option for their beloved animals, which has a great safety profile and can be used either as a standalone treatment, or as an adjunct to chemotherapy."
"We're excited because of the way that it works. Ultimately this treatment could provide a new option for human cancers that are difficult to treat, as well as a follow on treatment for patients who have already been through standard treatments. Everything we've seen to date has been very encouraging."
US marketing trial recruitment commenced
Today's announcement follows the publishing of positive safety and early efficacy data in early 2014 by Cancer Immunology Research, the peer-reviewed journal, published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
Following the Australian launch of the product, recruitment has commenced in a US marketing trial for Kvax with VCA, a leading provider of pet health care services in the United States (US).
The trial will provide important efficacy data in a single, defined tumour type, and increase awareness of the Kvax cancer treatment with vets and dog owners in the US.
Commencement of the trial follows the receipt in late 2013 of written confirmation from the Center for Veterinary Biologics at the US Department of Agriculture that Regeneus could proceed with plans to commercialise the vaccine in the US, and the subsequent appointment of Hennessy Research to manufacture the product for the US market.
For further information regarding Regeneus and its activities, please contact the persons listed below, or
visit www.regeneus.com.au, or www.kvax.com.au.
About Regeneus Ltd
Regeneus Ltd (ASX:RGS) is a Sydney-based clinical-stage regenerative medicine company using stem cell technologies to develop a portfolio of novel cell-based therapies. The regenerative therapies seek to address unmet medical needs in human health markets, focusing on neuropathic pain, including osteoarthritis and various skin conditions, with its platform technologies Progenza(TM) and Sygenus. Visit www.regeneus.com.au for more information.
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