Companies plan to advance Western Oncolytics’
lead preclinical therapy into human testing
Potential combination of WO-12 with Pfizer’s
oncology pipeline could enhance therapeutic benefit in patients
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and Western Oncolytics announced today
that they have entered into a development collaboration, license
and option agreement to advance Western Oncolytics’ novel oncolytic
vaccinia virus, WO-12. Oncolytic viruses are viruses engineered to
kill cancer cells while sparing healthy cells, which subsequently
elicits anti-cancer immune responses. This collaboration in
oncolytic virus development adds another novel technology platform
to Pfizer’s cancer vaccine efforts and provides an additional tool
to bolster its immuno-oncology portfolio.
Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer and Western Oncolytics
will collaborate on preclinical and clinical development of WO-12
through Phase I trials. Following completion of Phase I trials,
Pfizer has an exclusive option to acquire WO-12. Financial terms of
the agreement were not disclosed.
“Our goal is to combine WO-12 with our portfolio of promising
investigational immunotherapies to explore how these novel
combinations could help further enhance the body’s immune response
in fighting cancer cells,” said James Merson, Ph.D., Chief
Scientific Officer, Vaccine Immunotherapeutics at Pfizer. “We
believe that the real advances in immuno-oncology will come from
novel combinations, and cancer fighting viruses and vaccines could
play a key role in helping transform cancer treatment and
potentially enable us to treat more patients.”
WO-12 is a preclinical investigational oncolytic virus. As an in
vivo vaccine, it has the potential to be delivered directly to the
tumor (intratumoral) or intravenously. More specifically, it is a
virus engineered to replicate primarily in cancer cells while
delivering several therapeutic genes that modulate the immune
system to enhance efficacy against a range of cancers. By
replicating inside cancer cells, it is designed to both kill the
cancer cell and releases tumor antigens that direct the immune
system to recognize the antigens and kill additional cancer cells.
WO-12 has potential applications across multiple tumor types.
“We believe this collaboration will create a unique opportunity
to accelerate and expand the clinical testing of WO-12 as well as
to examine potential combinations with other immunotherapies in the
Pfizer portfolio,” said Steve Thorne, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer
of Western Oncolytics and inventor of WO-12.
Kurt Rote, CEO of Western Oncolytics, added, “We have been very
impressed with the expertise and commitment to success from
everyone at Pfizer, and are excited to be partnering this promising
therapy with a shared vision of improving the way patients are
treated.”
About Pfizer Oncology
Pfizer Oncology is committed to the discovery, investigation and
development of innovative treatment options to improve the outlook
for cancer patients worldwide. Our strong pipeline of biologics and
small molecules, one of the most robust in the industry, is studied
with precise focus on identifying and translating the best
scientific breakthroughs into clinical application for patients
across a wide range of cancers. By working collaboratively with
academic institutions, individual researchers, cooperative research
groups, governments, and licensing partners, Pfizer Oncology
strives to cure or control cancer with breakthrough medicines, to
deliver the right drug for each patient at the right time. For more
information, please visit www.pfizer.com.
Pfizer is making a significant investment in immuno-oncology
with development efforts across an array of modalities and novel
technologies, including: avelumab, an anti-PD-L1 lgG1 monoclonal
antibody (in collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany);
utomilumab (PF-05082566), a 4-1BB agonist antibody; an anti-OX40
antibody; a CCR2 inhibitor, an anti-macrophage colony-stimulating
factor (M-CSF) antibody; Vaccine Based Immunotherapy Regimens
(VBIR) that combine vaccines and immunomodulators; and Chimeric
Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Therapy.
Pfizer Inc.: Working together for a healthier world®
At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring
therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their
lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value
in the discovery, development and manufacture of healthcare
products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as
well as many of the world's best-known consumer healthcare
products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and
emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and
cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time.
Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier
innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health
care providers, governments and local communities to support and
expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world.
For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for
all who rely on us. For more information, please visit us
at www.pfizer.com. In addition, to learn more, follow us on
Twitter
at @Pfizer and @Pfizer_News, LinkedIn, YouTube and
like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer.
Western Oncolytics Ltd.
Western Oncolytics Ltd. develops novel therapies for
patients. The Company commercializes treatments that show
promise in early laboratory research and demonstrates their value
to patients in clinical trials. The Company believes that its
lead technology, the novel immuno-oncolytic therapy WO-12, has the
potential to extend the lives of, or outright cure, patients across
a wide range of cancer types while avoiding the severe side effects
common with current cancer therapies.
PFIZER DISCLOSURE NOTICE
The information contained in this release is as of July 28,
2016. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking
statements contained in this release as the result of new
information or future events or developments.
This release contains forward-looking information about Pfizer’s
research collaboration agreement with Western Oncolytics to advance
WO-12 novel oncolytic vaccinia virus (WO-12) into human testing,
WO-12 and Pfizer’s immuno-oncology portfolio, including their
potential benefits that involves substantial risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and
uncertainties include, among other things, the uncertainties
inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet
anticipated clinical study commencement and completion dates as
well as the possibility of unfavorable study results, including
unfavorable new clinical data and additional analyses of existing
data; risks associated with interim data; the risk that clinical
trial data are subject to differing interpretations, and, even when
we view data as sufficient to support the safety and/or
effectiveness of a product candidate, regulatory authorities may
not share our views and may require additional data or may deny
approval altogether; whether and when drug applications may be
filed in any jurisdictions for any potential indications for WO-12
or Pfizer’s immuno-oncology product candidates; whether and when
any such applications may be approved by regulatory authorities,
which will depend on the assessment by such regulatory authorities
of the benefit-risk profile suggested by the totality of the
efficacy and safety information submitted; decisions by regulatory
authorities regarding labeling and other matters that could affect
the availability or commercial potential of Pfizer’s oncology
products and product candidates; and competitive developments.
A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in
Pfizer’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2015 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q,
including in the sections thereof captioned “Risk Factors” and
“Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future
Results”, as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of
which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
and available at www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160728005932/en/
Pfizer Inc. MediaAllyanna Anglim,
212-733-4945allyanna.anglim@pfizer.comorPfizer Inc. InvestorsRyan
Crowe, 212-733-8160ryan.crowe@pfizer.comorWestern OncolyticsKurt M.
Roteinfo@westernoncolytics.com
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