Archive: Company News
Company News: Anergis Appoints Dr. Dino Dina to its Board of Directors
– Company appoints seasoned US vaccine and biotech executive –
Anergis, a company focusing on proprietary allergy vaccines, today announced the appointment of Dino Dina, MD, to its Board of Directors. Dr. Dina brings extensive expertise in the research and development of vaccines for allergy, cancer and infectious diseases as well as in building successful US biopharmaceutical companies.
From 1998 to 2013, Dr. Dina served as Chief Executive Officer of Dynavax Technologies Corporation and has been a member of Dynavax´ Board of Directors since 1997. During his tenure, he secured extensive financing through corporate alliances (UCB, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, GSK, Merck), private financings, an initial public offering (2004), and a series of public equity financings. Prior to joining Dynavax, Dr. Dina held a series of positions with increasing responsibility at Chiron Corporation, where he ultimately served as President of Chiron Vaccines. Under Dr. Dina’s direction, Chiron Vaccines received the first-ever approval of an adjuvanted influenza vaccine in Italy, successfully completed development of the first genetically engineered pertussis vaccine, and conducted clinical trials for vaccines to prevent HIV, herpes simplex type II, cytomegalovirus, and hepatitis B infections.
Company News: Curetis Receives Clearance for Unyvero™ System and Pneumonia Application in Russia and Serbia
– First Unyvero™ Systems installed for clinical evaluation
– Presentation at 23rd National Congress on Lung Diseases in Kazan
Curetis AG today announced that its Unyvero™ System and its Unyvero™ P50 Application have been registered and cleared by the Russian and Serbian Ministry of Health, respectively.
The first Unyvero™ System has already been installed for approbation at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation in Moscow and another will be tested at one of the major hospitals in St. Petersburg.
Curetis´ distribution partner, BioLine LLC, is currently presenting the Unyvero™ System at major clinical and scientific events in Russia. Likewise, Curetis’ distribution partner Ako med d.o.o. is demonstrating the Unyvero™ System at major hospitals in Serbia, Bosnia Hercegovina, Croatia and Slovenia.
Company News: ISA Pharmaceuticals Initiates Phase I/II Clinical Trial With ISA101 in Women with Cervical Cancer
– Therapeutic vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus type 16 (HPV16) tested together with chemotherapy in women with HPV16-positive advanced or recurrent cervical cancer –
ISA Pharmaceuticals B.V., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on rationally designed therapeutic vaccines against cancer and persistent viral infections, today announced the initiation of a Phase I/II clinical study of its lead candidate ISA101 in women with HPV16-positive advanced or recurrent cervical cancer, eligible for standard chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel (CervISA study). The first patient was vaccinated this month.
ISA101 is a synthetic long peptide (SLP®) vaccine for the treatment of diseases induced by human papilloma virus (HPV) type 16, such as cervical cancer, ano-genital premalignant and malignant lesions, and head and neck cancer.
The open-label, multicenter CervISA study is designed to determine the safety and immune-modulating effects of ISA101 at different doses with or without pegylated interferon alpha in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel.
Patients will receive up to six standard chemotherapy cycles (paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC 6 every three weeks) and three vaccinations at different dose levels during the same period. Half the women at each dose level will also receive pegylated interferon alpha. Primary endpoints of the trial are safety and HPV-specific immune responses. The secondary endpoint is antitumor efficacy according to RECIST 1.1.
Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by HPV infections, with HPV16 being responsible for about 50-60% percent of all cases.