Strasbourg, France, March 10, 1999 — TRANSGENE (NASDAQ:TRGNY) announced today the initiation of a second Phase II clinical trial of its Vero-IL2 product in Freiburg, Germany, in the laboratory of Professor Mertelsmann, with the enrollment of the first two patients. The study will include 20 patients with malignant mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer arising in the pleura (lining) of the lung.TRANSGENE's Vero-IL2 product is an immortal cell line genetically modified to produce interleukine-2, a natural cytokine that helps to stimulate the body's immune system. Earlier studies in cats and dogs shower Vero-IL2 to be beneficial in the treatment of spontaneously occurring tumors. More recently, two Phase I clinical trials completed in France and Switzerland have suggested some anti-tumor activity and demonstrated preliminary evidence of safety and tolerance to this therapy. In addition, the first Phase II trial with this product began in Spring 1998 in patients with malignant melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer.
"The initiation of a second clinical trial for our Vero-IL2 product is a solid indication of the continued progress TRANSGENE is making in the clinic," said Bernard Gilly, President and Chief Executive Officer of TRANSGENE. "We are anxious to move this product along for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma, as there is a large unmet medical need for patients suffering with this disease. With the beginning of this trial, TRANSGENE will have four ongoing Phase II gene therapy clinical trials for the treatment of several cancers."
TRANSGENE's objective is to use its Vero-IL2 or a second vector, Adenovirus-IL2, to encourage the human immune response to reject cancer cells, thus providing the potential for a less toxic alternative to current chemotherapy and radiation treatments of advanced cancers. Another direction in TRANSGENE's anti-cancer program is continuing efforts for the development of anti-cancer vaccines, where tumor specific antigens are produced by vaccinia viruses in an effort to boost the body's immune response.
TRANSGENE, based in Strasbourg, France, is an integrated biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of gene therapy technologies and products for the treatment of acquired or inherited diseases for which there is no cure or adequate therapy at present. Its proprietary technology platform includes adenoviral, vaccinia viral, retroviral, cellular and a range of synthetic vectors for gene delivery. Three of these vector families are currently in clinical development for several disease applications. TRANSGENE currently has four Phase II studies ongoing targeting a number of different cancers. TRANSGENE has two major partnering agreements with Schering-Plough and Human Genome Sciences.
Source: Transgène
