Study Shows Surprisingly Low Number of Patients Seek Trials to Treat Cancer February 26, 2020 - Baystreet.ca An “exceedingly low” percentage of patients with cancer enroll in clinical trials as the first course of therapy, according to results of a study conducted at Penn State College of Medicine and published in Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. “There just aren’t that many clinical trials available for patients when they’re first diagnosed with cancer,” Nicholas G. Zaorsky, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at Penn State College of Medicine, said in an interview. The news comes at the same time as many new and potentially effective cancer treatments are emerging. One company leading the way is Oncolytics Biotech Inc., (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC), a development stage biotech company developing an immuno-oncology virus (called pelareorep). Pelareorep is a safe and well-tolerated treatment that has the potential to kill cancer cells. It is being studied now for potential combination with Opdivo® from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY), Roche’s Tecentriq®, Pfizer’s and Merck’s KGaA’s Bavencio® (NYSE: PFE), as well as Keytruda® from Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK). New Methods Emerging Quickly Cancer grows in our bodies when our immune systems do not recognize tumors as foreign or a threat. The cancer tells our immune system and T cells to leave the tumor alone instead of directly attacking it. Immunotherapies - which includes checkpoint inhibitors - encourage our immune systems to recognize and kill cancer. But as low as 1 in 5 patients respond to checkpoint inhibitors. That’s where pelareorep comes in. Pelareorep has the potential ability to increase the percentage of patients who respond to immunotherapy. Pelareorep comes with compelling metastatic breast cancer survival data. The primary objective of Oncolytics is to obtain regulatory approval for pelareorep as quickly as possible. The company’s secondary objective is to expand pelareorep into commercially valuable new treatment areas with pharmaceutical partners. Oncolytics has established a successful partnership with Adlai Nortye in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. As per the relationship, there is involved upfront and milestone payments of up to $86.6 million, with $65 million tied to potential development expansion. Trials Are Needed to Make the Systems Work In the meantime, the medical industry continues to pursue new trials of cancer treatments. “There may be trials available for patients whose disease comes back, but not as many for patients just diagnosed. For the trials that do exist, there are some preferences for the patients who will be enrolled,” said Dr. Nicholas G. Zaorsky from Penn State. Overall, less than 5% of eligible adults participate in cancer clinical trials. In the retrospective cohort study, Zaorsky and colleagues gathered demographic and clinical information from the National Cancer Database on more than 12 million patients with 4 to 6 types of cancer between 2004 and 2015. They found that among these patients, only 11,577 (0.1%) participated in clinical trials as their first course of cancer therapy after diagnosis. A greater proportion of trial participants vs. nonparticipants were white (88% vs. 84.8%), had metastatic disease (30.9% vs. 16.4%), had private/managed care insurance (56.4% vs. 41.8%) and had fewer comorbidities (Charlson-Deyo score 0, 81.9% vs. 75.7%). Univariate and stratified analyses showed patients with cancer who participated in clinical trials also had longer median OS (60 vs. 52.5 months; HR = 0.876; 95% CI, 0.845-0.907) than those not enrolled in a trial. Zaorsky spoke about the need to make trials more inclusive, the importance of removing patient barriers and the lifesaving potential of clinical trial participation as a first intervention. So, how does the United States compare with other countries in clinical trial accrual? According to the data, clinical trial accrual in the U.S. is very low among patients with cancer compared with other developed countries. There are some areas in Europe where, for certain cancers, accrual is in the teens, 20s or 30s. So overall, as a nation, the doctors thinks we could be doing better. For biotech and pharma companies offering trials, the potential for new and potentially blockbuster treatments is significant. Major companies capable of playing a major role include: Merck & Co. offers therapeutic and preventive agents to treat cardiovascular, type 2 diabetes, chronic hepatitis C virus, HIV-1 infection, intra-abdominal, fungal infection, insomnia, and inflammatory diseases; neuromuscular blocking agents; cholesterol modifying medicines; and anti-bacterial and vaginal contraceptive products. Merck recently disclosed an exclusive worldwide research collaboration and license agreement with Taiho Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd., and Astex Pharmaceuticals) focused on the development of small molecule inhibitors against several drug targets, including the KRAS oncogene, which are currently being investigated for the treatment of cancer. Pfizer Inc. develops, manufactures, and sells healthcare products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including internal medicine, vaccines, oncology, inflammation and immunology, and rare diseases. The company also provides over-the-counter medicines. Pfizer just announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion, recommending marketing authorization for RUXIENCE™ (rituximab). RUXIENCE is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), and pemphigus vulgaris (PV). Roche Holding AG engages in the diagnostics and prescription pharmaceuticals businesses in Switzerland, Germany, and internationally. Roche Holding AG made its second major gene therapy deal in a year recently, disclosing that it is spending $1.15 billion to obtain the rights to Sarepta Therapeutics Inc's investigational drug to treat duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) outside the United States. For a more about biotech trends in diagnostics and the companies delivering new solutions, view the report at USA News Group: https://usanewsgroup.com/2020/02/24/why-biotechnology-companies-are-so-important/ Article Source: USA News Group http://usanewsgroup.com info@usanewsgroup.com Legal Disclaimer/Disclosure: Nothing in this publication should be considered as personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are thus neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The content in this report or email is not provided to any individual with a view toward their individual circumstances. USA News Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market IQ Media Group, Inc. (“MIQ”). MIQ has been paid a fee for Oncolytics Biotech Inc. advertising and digital media from the company directly. There may be 3rd parties who may have shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc., and may liquidate their shares which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged to not use this publication as the basis for any investment decision. The owner/operator of MIQ own shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. which were purchased in the open market, and reserve the right to buy and sell, and will buy and sell shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. at any time without any further notice. We also expect further compensation as an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company, no further notice will be given, but let this disclaimer serve as notice that all material disseminated by MIQ has been approved by the above mentioned company; this is a paid advertisement, we currently own shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. and will buy and sell shares of the company in the open market, or through private placements, and/or other investment vehicles. While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in our newsletter is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Also, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between the any predictions and actual results. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decision. Be extremely careful, investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may likely lose some or all of the investment.
Study Shows Surprisingly Low Number of Patients Seek Trials to Treat Cancer February 26, 2020 - Baystreet.ca An “exceedingly low” percentage of patients with cancer enroll in clinical trials as the first course of therapy, according to results of a study conducted at Penn State College of Medicine and published in Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. “There just aren’t that many clinical trials available for patients when they’re first diagnosed with cancer,” Nicholas G. Zaorsky, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at Penn State College of Medicine, said in an interview. The news comes at the same time as many new and potentially effective cancer treatments are emerging. One company leading the way is Oncolytics Biotech Inc., (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC), a development stage biotech company developing an immuno-oncology virus (called pelareorep). Pelareorep is a safe and well-tolerated treatment that has the potential to kill cancer cells. It is being studied now for potential combination with Opdivo® from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY), Roche’s Tecentriq®, Pfizer’s and Merck’s KGaA’s Bavencio® (NYSE: PFE), as well as Keytruda® from Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK). New Methods Emerging Quickly Cancer grows in our bodies when our immune systems do not recognize tumors as foreign or a threat. The cancer tells our immune system and T cells to leave the tumor alone instead of directly attacking it. Immunotherapies - which includes checkpoint inhibitors - encourage our immune systems to recognize and kill cancer. But as low as 1 in 5 patients respond to checkpoint inhibitors. That’s where pelareorep comes in. Pelareorep has the potential ability to increase the percentage of patients who respond to immunotherapy. Pelareorep comes with compelling metastatic breast cancer survival data. The primary objective of Oncolytics is to obtain regulatory approval for pelareorep as quickly as possible. The company’s secondary objective is to expand pelareorep into commercially valuable new treatment areas with pharmaceutical partners. Oncolytics has established a successful partnership with Adlai Nortye in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. As per the relationship, there is involved upfront and milestone payments of up to $86.6 million, with $65 million tied to potential development expansion. Trials Are Needed to Make the Systems Work In the meantime, the medical industry continues to pursue new trials of cancer treatments. “There may be trials available for patients whose disease comes back, but not as many for patients just diagnosed. For the trials that do exist, there are some preferences for the patients who will be enrolled,” said Dr. Nicholas G. Zaorsky from Penn State. Overall, less than 5% of eligible adults participate in cancer clinical trials. In the retrospective cohort study, Zaorsky and colleagues gathered demographic and clinical information from the National Cancer Database on more than 12 million patients with 4 to 6 types of cancer between 2004 and 2015. They found that among these patients, only 11,577 (0.1%) participated in clinical trials as their first course of cancer therapy after diagnosis. A greater proportion of trial participants vs. nonparticipants were white (88% vs. 84.8%), had metastatic disease (30.9% vs. 16.4%), had private/managed care insurance (56.4% vs. 41.8%) and had fewer comorbidities (Charlson-Deyo score 0, 81.9% vs. 75.7%). Univariate and stratified analyses showed patients with cancer who participated in clinical trials also had longer median OS (60 vs. 52.5 months; HR = 0.876; 95% CI, 0.845-0.907) than those not enrolled in a trial. Zaorsky spoke about the need to make trials more inclusive, the importance of removing patient barriers and the lifesaving potential of clinical trial participation as a first intervention. So, how does the United States compare with other countries in clinical trial accrual? According to the data, clinical trial accrual in the U.S. is very low among patients with cancer compared with other developed countries. There are some areas in Europe where, for certain cancers, accrual is in the teens, 20s or 30s. So overall, as a nation, the doctors thinks we could be doing better. For biotech and pharma companies offering trials, the potential for new and potentially blockbuster treatments is significant. Major companies capable of playing a major role include: Merck & Co. offers therapeutic and preventive agents to treat cardiovascular, type 2 diabetes, chronic hepatitis C virus, HIV-1 infection, intra-abdominal, fungal infection, insomnia, and inflammatory diseases; neuromuscular blocking agents; cholesterol modifying medicines; and anti-bacterial and vaginal contraceptive products. Merck recently disclosed an exclusive worldwide research collaboration and license agreement with Taiho Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd., and Astex Pharmaceuticals) focused on the development of small molecule inhibitors against several drug targets, including the KRAS oncogene, which are currently being investigated for the treatment of cancer. Pfizer Inc. develops, manufactures, and sells healthcare products worldwide. It offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including internal medicine, vaccines, oncology, inflammation and immunology, and rare diseases. The company also provides over-the-counter medicines. Pfizer just announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion, recommending marketing authorization for RUXIENCE™ (rituximab). RUXIENCE is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), and pemphigus vulgaris (PV). Roche Holding AG engages in the diagnostics and prescription pharmaceuticals businesses in Switzerland, Germany, and internationally. Roche Holding AG made its second major gene therapy deal in a year recently, disclosing that it is spending $1.15 billion to obtain the rights to Sarepta Therapeutics Inc's investigational drug to treat duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) outside the United States. For a more about biotech trends in diagnostics and the companies delivering new solutions, view the report at USA News Group: https://usanewsgroup.com/2020/02/24/why-biotechnology-companies-are-so-important/ Article Source: USA News Group http://usanewsgroup.com info@usanewsgroup.com Legal Disclaimer/Disclosure: Nothing in this publication should be considered as personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are thus neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The content in this report or email is not provided to any individual with a view toward their individual circumstances. USA News Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market IQ Media Group, Inc. (“MIQ”). MIQ has been paid a fee for Oncolytics Biotech Inc. advertising and digital media from the company directly. There may be 3rd parties who may have shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc., and may liquidate their shares which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged to not use this publication as the basis for any investment decision. The owner/operator of MIQ own shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. which were purchased in the open market, and reserve the right to buy and sell, and will buy and sell shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. at any time without any further notice. We also expect further compensation as an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company, no further notice will be given, but let this disclaimer serve as notice that all material disseminated by MIQ has been approved by the above mentioned company; this is a paid advertisement, we currently own shares of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. and will buy and sell shares of the company in the open market, or through private placements, and/or other investment vehicles. While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in our newsletter is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Also, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between the any predictions and actual results. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decision. Be extremely careful, investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may likely lose some or all of the investment.