Avax Technologies, Inc. is a

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

-based

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

company whose most advanced product candidate is MVax for

melanoma Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

. MVax is a

cancer vaccine A cancer vaccine, or oncovaccine, is a vaccine that either treats existing cancer or prevents development of cancer. Vaccines that treat existing cancer are known as ''therapeutic'' cancer vaccines or tumor antigen vaccines. Some of the vaccines ...

that received a Special Protocol Assessment agreement with the

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

in October 2006, and subsequently began a Phase III registration clinical trial in November 2007. In previous studies, MVax demonstrated a 5-year overall survival rate (OS)of 44% and response rate of 35% (13% CR, 22% PR).

AC Vaccine

Product candidates

MVax

Started May 2007. Currently in a Phase III trial for Stage IV

Melanoma Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

. MVax’s Phase II response rate of 35% (CR + PR) in combination with low-dose IL-2 compares favorably to the Phase II results of other melanoma cancer vaccines such as Vical’s Allovectin-7 (11% CR + PR) and BioVex’s OncoVex (28% CR + PR), both of which are given as stand alone therapy. Due to the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

and cancer vaccine failures by companies such as Favrille and Cell Genesys, Avax had trouble attracting investors. In an effort to conserve cash, enrollment for the Phase III trial was suspended on March 26, 2009, but the trial itself is still ongoing. However on December 16, 2009, the company obtained bridge financing in the amount of $1,400,000. This will be used to conduct an interim analysis of the Phase III data for MVax. CEO John Prendergast notes: "Recent and anticipated news by companies involved with cancer vaccines and immunotherapies has resulted in renewed interest in the sector by institutional investors, larger pharma, biotechnology companies and the medical and scientific communities at large.".

OVax

Started April 2008, a Phase I/II trial for

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...

. Encouraging results reported Feb 2016.Advanced Ovarian Cancer Treatment Showing Promise in Clinical Trial. Feb 2016
/ref> Median survival was 22.7 months with no treatment-related serious adverse events.

Genopoietic SA

Based in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, France, has a GMP facility that manufactures the vaccines for Avax. The facility is certified by the French government for commercial and clinical vaccine production for the European markets.

Notes

External links

{{authority control Companies traded over-the-counter in the United States Biotechnology companies of the United States Companies based in Philadelphia Pharmaceutical companies of the United States Companies with year of establishment missing Health care companies based in Pennsylvania