Madison Vaccines Expands Phase 2 Trial Of Prostate Cancer Vaccine

Clinical stage biopharmaceutical company Madison Vaccines Incorporated (MIV) announced that it has begun additional patient enrollment in the expansion of a Phase II clinical trial of its lead candidate MVI-816 (pTVG-HP).

The Phase II trial is investigating whether MVI-816 can delay the onset of metastatic disease. Fifty patients will be added to the original group of 56 patients in the trial. Eligible patients include those with non-metastatic prostate cancer and who have rising PSA after primary treatment prior to necessitating androgen deprivation therapy or castration therapy. Current patient recruitment is ongoing at the University of Wisconsin and future enrollment is expected at the University of California in San Francisco and at least another site later this 2014.

MVI-816 is a plasmid DNA vaccine that targets prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), a well-defined prostate antigen. The vaccine can be administered via a simple intradermal injection. The company said its investigational prostrate cancer vaccine is cost-effective, readily manufactured, and is highly stable compared to protein or peptide vaccines.

Richard Lesniewski, President of MVI, said, “Our goal is to help men with recurrent prostate cancer live longer with a better quality of life. The expansion of this Phase 2 trial represents a significant step forward for our young company and advances our efforts to establish clinical proof of concept toward a safe and approvable immune activation therapy for men with prostate cancer at this crucial stage of their disease.”

Madison Vaccines is currently developing a second vaccine for male patients with early metastatic disease, to help lengthen disease control duration provided by existing androgen deprivation therapies.

The company recently announced that appointment of Michael Richman to its Board of Directors, where his research and business experience working with companies such as Novartis and AstraZeneca is expected to help guide the company in the development of new treatment options against prostrate cancer.