Promising Phase II Results for Oncophage in Advanced Melanoma

NEW YORK—Antigenics Inc. announced positive final results from a phase II study of the company’s personalized heat shock protein cancer vaccine Oncophage (HSPPC-96) in patients with metastatic melanoma. The study included 39 evaluable patients with stage IV melanoma who underwent surgery to remove tumor tissue, which was used to produce their personalized Oncophage vaccine.

Of the 28 patients who had residual disease after surgery, two had a complete clinical response after Oncophage treatment and survived tumor free for at least 2 more years. Three patients who had tumor remaining after surgery had extended disease stabilization (5 to 9 months). Of the 11 patients rendered disease free by surgery, three had long-term disease-free survival (8 to 21 months). The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (October 15, 2002).