CALGARY, AB, --- April 9, 2008 - Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (“Oncolytics”) (TSX:ONC, NASDAQ:ONCY) today announced positive interim results from its U.K. combination REOLYSIN® and carboplatin/paclitaxel trial. Dr. Kevin Harrington of The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and the principal investigator for the trial, presented the results today at The 5th Annual Conference of the British Society for Gene Therapy (BSGT) in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Four of the first eight patients treated in the study to date have a diagnosis of carcinoma of the head and neck. All three head and neck patients evaluated to date have had excellent clinical and radiological responses without appreciable toxicity. Preliminary assessment after recruitment of the first two cohorts has suggested that patients with head and neck carcinomas may represent a group of patients in whom the combination of carboplatin/paclitaxel and REOLYSIN® is active.
“These early results in head and neck patients are remarkable, considering the prognosis for refractory patients is generally poor,” said Dr. Karl Mettinger, Chief Medical Officer for Oncolytics.
In the first cohort, the patient with head and neck cancer received 8 cycles of treatment (the maximum allowed) and achieved a clinical complete response. In the second cohort, the two patients with head and neck cancers with widespread disseminated disease have each received six cycles of treatment to date and both have achieved significant partial responses. Two of the three patients, including the patient with the clinical complete response, had previously received cisplatin/5-FU treatment and all three had previously received radiotherapy.
More information about this clinical trial, including CT scans from selected patients enrolled on the trial, can be found on the Oncolytics website at www.oncolyticsbiotech.com.
The primary objective of the trial is to determine the Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD), Dose-Limiting Toxicity (DLT), recommended dose and dosing schedule and safety profile of REOLYSIN® when administered in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin. Secondary objectives include the evaluation of immune response to the drug combination, the body’s response to the drug combination compared to chemotherapy alone and any evidence of anti-tumour activity.
The principal investigators are Dr. Kevin Harrington of The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and Dr. Geoff Hall of St. James’s Hospital in Leeds, U.K.
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