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.