French biotechnology company OSE Immunotherapeutics on Monday presented positive results from its Tedopi therapeutic vaccine in patients with advanced lung cancer, showing a reduced risk of death compared with chemotherapy.
One year after the start of treatment, 44.1% of these patients were still alive in the group receiving the vaccine, compared with only 27.5% in the chemotherapy group, according to the results of a phase 3 clinical trial (the stage prior to marketing) published on Monday in the journal Annals of Oncology.
The study also shows that using the vaccine instead of chemotherapy helps to maintain a better quality of life for patients, with fewer side-effects," says Professor Benjamin Besse, Director of Clinical Research at the Institut Gustave-Roussy and principal investigator in the trial, called Atalante-1.
These results offer new hope for these patients," said Nicolas Poirier, CEO of Ose Immunotherapeutics, at a virtual press conference, pointing out that more than a thousand injections had been given during the various clinical trials.
A total of 219 patients took part in the study in nine European countries and the United States (139 patients on Tedopi and 80 on chemotherapy). The vaccine was initially administered every three weeks, then every eight weeks for a year, then every 12 weeks.
But Tedopi still has to be tested in a new trial early next year before it can be submitted for marketing authorisation in 2027.