First Patient Enrolled in Phase II DOVACC trial of UV1 in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
- Study assesses impact of UV1 in ovarian cancer maintenance care
- Addresses unmet medical need among BRCA-negative ovarian cancer patients
- Enrollment of 184 patients to be coordinated through NSGO-CTU and ENGOT
 
Oslo,  15 December 2021: Ultimovacs  ASA (“Ultimovacs”)  (OSE ULTI),  a clinical
stage leader in immune stimulatory vaccines for cancer, announced today that the
first  patient has  been enrolled  in the  DOVACC (Durvalumab  Olaparib VACCine)
study,  a  randomized  Phase  II  clinical  trial  assessing  the  impact of the
Company’s  telomerase  vaccine,  UV1,  on  the  standard  of maintenance care in
ovarian cancer.
DOVACC  (NCT04742075)  is  organized  with  two influential European networks of
gynaecological  oncologists;  the  Nordic  Society  of  Gynaecological  Oncology
Clinical  Trial Unit (NSGO-CTU) -  the study sponsor -  and the broader European
Network  of Gynaecological Oncological Trial Groups (ENGOT). With Ultimovacs and
AstraZeneca  as industry participants,  DOVACC will assess  whether UV1 enhances
progression-free  survival in  BRCA-negative (BRCA  wild type)  advanced ovarian
cancer  in  combination  with  two  AstraZeneca  drugs, durvalumab and olaparib.
Topline data from DOVACC is expected in 2023.
PARP  inhibitors such  as olaparib  are highly  effective as maintenance care in
BRCA-mutated  ovarian  cancer.  However,  among  BRCA-negative  patients  -  who
represent  the majority  of ovarian  cancer patients  - there remains a specific
unmet medical need that may be satisfied by the addition of other agents to PARP
monotherapy.
DOVACC  will recruit 184 patients across Europe from  a network of more than 40
hospitals  in  around  ten  European  countries coordinated through NSGO-CTU and
ENGOT.  Innovation Norway  has granted  Ultimovacs NOK 10 million (approximately
$1.2 million) to support the execution of the Phase II DOVACC study.
“The  start  of  recruitment  in  DOVACC  represents  another  milestone  in the
expanding  clinical program of our lead cancer vaccine UV1,” said Jens Bjørheim,
Chief  Medical Officer at  Ultimovacs. “Working with  leading specialized groups
around  Europe who participate in  NSGO-CTU and ENGOT, puts  UV1 in the hands of
the oncologists who help shape the standard of care in ovarian cancer.”
DOVACC is one of five randomized Phase II clinical trials of Ultimovacs’
telomerase vaccine UV1 in combination with other immunotherapies. The primary
outcome measure for DOVACC is progression-free survival for the UV1-durvalumab-
olaparib triple combination versus olaparib alone.
“The  purpose of  both NSGO-CTU  and ENGOT  is to  improve treatment  options in
gynaecological  cancer indications by developing  and conducting clinical trials
with  novel  agents  and  novel  modalities,  bringing  these new options to the
European  community,” commented Dr. Mansoor Raza  Mirza, Medical Director of the
NSGO-CTU  and Chair of  ENGOT. “The DOVACC  study does exactly  that by bringing
together  clinical and commercial organizations in  pursuit of a shared goal, in
this case extending the effectiveness of maintenance care for ovarian cancer.”
                                --ENDS--
About UV1
UV1  is a peptide-based vaccine inducing a  specific T cell response against the
universal cancer antigen telomerase. It is being developed as an “off-the-shelf”
therapeutic  cancer vaccine  for use  in combination  with other immunotherapies
that  require an ongoing T cell response for their mode of action. In four Phase
I  trials  involving  82 patients,  UV1  has  maintained  a  positive safety and
tolerability  profile and has demonstrated  encouraging signals of efficacy. UV1
is  being investigated  in combination  with checkpoint  inhibitors in  Phase II
trials  covering  advanced  malignant  melanoma,  ovarian  cancer, head and neck
squamous cell carcinoma, malignant pleural mesothelioma, and non-small cell lung
cancer  (NSCLC). In total, the  five Phase II trials  will enroll more than 650
patients at nearly 100 clinical centers across 15 countries.
In 2021, the U.S. FDA granted Fast Track designation to UV1 as add-on therapy to
ipilimumab  or to pembrolizumab for the  treatment of unresectable or metastatic
melanoma,  as well as Orphan Drug designation  to UV1 for the treatment of stage
IIB - IV melanoma.
About DOVACC
DOVACC (Durvalumab Olaparib VACCine; also formally designated as ENGOT-
OV56/NSGO-CTU-DOVACC) is a multi-center, multinational, randomized Phase II
clinical collaboration trial with the Nordic Society of Gynaecological Oncology
- Clinical Trial Unit (NSGO-CTU), the European Network of Gynaecological
 Oncological Trial Groups (ENGOT) and AstraZeneca. The trial is sponsored by the
 NSGO, the leading gynaecological oncology research society in the Nordic and
 Baltic regions. The trial is designed to evaluate Ultimovacs’ proprietary UV1
 cancer vaccine in combination with AstraZeneca’s durvalumab, a PD-L1 checkpoint
 inhibitor and its PARP inhibitor, olaparib, the maintenance therapy for advanced
 ovarian cancer. The study includes three arms treating a total of 184 patients
 randomized 1-to-1-to-2 to receive the PARP inhibitor olaparib, olaparib and the
 checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab, or Ultimovacs’ UV1 vaccine in combination with
 both AstraZeneca drugs. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS)
 in the treatment arm with PARP inhibitor olaparib monotherapy, versus PFS in the
 triple combination treatment arm.
About NSGO-CTU
The  Nordic Society of Gynaecological Oncology  - Clinical Trial Unit (NSGO-CTU)
is  a  non-profit  organization  aiming  to  improve the practice of prevention,
diagnosis  and treatment for  gynaecological cancers by  supporting research and
conducting clinical trials across countries.
About ENGOT
The  European Network for Gynaecological Oncological  Trial groups is a research
network  of the European  Society of Gynaecological  Oncology and was founded in
Berlin  in October 2007. Currently,  ENGOT consists of  19 trial groups from 15
European  countries that  perform cooperative  clinical trials. ENGOT’s ultimate
goal is to bring the best treatment to gynecological cancer patients through the
best  science, and enabling every patient in  every European country to access a
clinical trial.
About Ultimovacs
Ultimovacs  is developing immune-stimulatory vaccines to  treat a broad range of
cancers.  Ultimovacs’ lead universal cancer  vaccine candidate UV1 targets human
telomerase  (hTERT), present in 85-90% of cancers in all stages of tumor growth.
By  directing the immune system to hTERT antigens, UV1 drives CD4 helper T cells
to  the  tumor  to  activate  an  immune  system cascade and increase anti-tumor
responses.  With  a  broad  Phase  II  program,  Ultimovacs  aims  to clinically
demonstrate  UV1’s impact  in multiple  cancer types  in combination  with other
immunotherapies.   Ultimovacs’   second   technology   approach,  based  on  the
proprietary  Tetanus-Epitope-Targeting  (TET)  platform, combines tumor-specific
peptides and adjuvant in the same molecule and entered Phase I studies in 2021.
For further information, please see www.ultimovacs.com or contact:
Carlos de Sousa, CEO
Email: carlos.desousa@ultimovacs.com (mailto:carlos.desousa@ultimovacs.com)
Phone: +47 908 92507
Hans Vassgård Eid, CFO
Email: hans.eid@ultimovacs.com (mailto:hans.eid@ultimovacs.com)
Phone: +47 482 48632
Mary-Ann Chang, LifeSci Advisors
Email: mchang@lifesciadvisors.com (mailto:mchang@lifesciadvisors.com)
Phone: +44 7483 284 853
This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU
Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant
to Section 5-12 in the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
This stock exchange announcement was published by Joachim Midttun, Finance
Manager at Ultimovacs ASA, on December 15, 2021 at 08:00 CET.