Ultimovacs Provides 3-Year Update from Phase I Study in Malignant Melanoma

Results Confirm Strong Overall Survival in Patients Treated with UV1 Cancer Vaccine

 

• All patients in cohort 2 who were alive after 2 years remain alive after 3 years

Oslo, 19 June 2023: Ultimovacs ASA (“Ultimovacs”) (OSE ULTI), a clinical-stage biotechnology leader in novel immunotherapeutic cancer vaccines, today announced encouraging overall survival (OS) data from the cohort 2 in the UV1-103 Phase I clinical trial in malignant melanoma. All patients in cohort 2 who were alive at the 2-year follow-up, remain alive at the 3-year follow-up.

The UV1-103 study evaluates Ultimovacs’ universal cancer vaccine, UV1, in combination with the anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, as first-line treatment in patients with advanced non-resectable or metastatic malignant melanoma. The study enrolled 30 patients in the U.S. in two cohorts that differed only in the concentration of GM-CSF used as vaccine adjuvant. 27 of these patients agreed to long-term monitoring after 2 years.

At 3-year follow-up across the two cohorts, 67% (18/27) of patients were still alive. 3-year overall survival in cohort 1 was 71% (12/17), including one patient death between years 2 and 3 as reported in October 2022. 3-year overall survival in cohort 2 was 60% (6/10).

Ultimovacs has previously reported data showing a complete response rate in the UV1-103 study of 33% (complete disappearance of tumors) and an objective response rate of 57% (complete or partial disappearance of tumors). Biomarker analyses reported in October 2022 showed robust clinical responses in patients treated with the combination of UV1 and pembrolizumab, regardless of patients’ PD-L1 status. The safety profile of UV1 in combination with pembrolizumab is comparable to that of pembrolizumab alone.

“We are very encouraged to observe a 67% overall survival rate at 3-year follow-up in this Phase I study, which treats the same patient population as our UV1 Phase II study, INITIUM. These data further strengthen the previously reported results from the study, including good safety for UV1 and remarkable 33% complete response rate in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma where surgery is not an option. The data continue to show that UV1 in combination with pembrolizumab has promising signs of efficacy,” said Jens Bjørheim, Chief Medical Officer at Ultimovacs. “We are looking forward to receiving more data from the UV1 clinical trials, to advance UV1 further to the benefit of cancer patients.”