Unleashing the Immune System: How ONCOS-102 Enhances Mesothelioma Therapy
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Unleashing the Immune System: How ONCOS-102 Enhances Mesothelioma Therapy

ByHolly Zink

An international team of scientists looked at adding a special kind of virus called ONCOS-102 to chemotherapy drugs. They found that adding ONCOS-102 can help mesothelioma patients live a bit longer during treatment. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Treatment for this disease can include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. The Promising Treatment Partnership ONCOS-102 is a type of virus that can help the body’s immune system attack cancer cells. Scientists wanted to see if using ONCOS-102 with chemotherapy could make this treatment work better. The current FDA-approved chemotherapy drugs for mesothelioma are pemetrexed with cisplatin. These drugs target rapidly growing cancer cells, but they can also affect healthy cells that grow rapidly such as blood cells. To…

Immunotherapy Treatment ONCOS-102: News Keeps Getting Better
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Immunotherapy Treatment ONCOS-102: News Keeps Getting Better

ByAlex Strauss

The news just keeps getting better for the virus-based immunotherapy treatment ONCOS-102.  Norweigian drug maker Targovax recently released the final survival data from a two-year study of ONCOS-102 in people with malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Eighteen months into the study, it looked like some of the patients on the immunotherapy treatment would live longer than two years. Now that the ONCOS-102 study has passed the two year mark, researchers say median survival may be even longer.  Average survival is a year or less on standard mesothelioma therapies. This makes the news about ONCOS-102 especially exciting.  Standard of Care Versus Immunotherapy Treatment Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. Even patients in overall good health face a grim outlook….

Long-Term Mesothelioma Survival with ONCOS-102
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Long-Term Mesothelioma Survival with ONCOS-102

ByAlex Strauss

The makers of the immunotherapy treatment ONCOS-102 have released promising new data on its ability to promote long-term mesothelioma survival. The report came less than two weeks after ONCOS-102 got FDA approval to fast-track its development.  ONCOS-102 is an investigational treatment made from a modified virus. The virus helps the treatment target mesothelioma cells while leaving healthy cells alone.  The new long-term mesothelioma survival data shows half of people on ONCOS-102 and chemotherapy have lived for 21 months. And the study is not over yet. Typical survival with standard mesothelioma chemotherapy is about a year.  Targovax says the data shows how valuable ONCOS-102 could be for patients with this rare but aggressive malignancy. Standard of Care for Pleural Mesothelioma Pleural…

ONCOS-102 Gets Fast Track Designation for Mesothelioma Treatment
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ONCOS-102 Gets Fast Track Designation for Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

An immunotherapy treatment called ONCOS-102 has received fast track designation from the FDA as a pleural mesothelioma therapy. Targovax is a Norweigian company that makes ONCOS-102. The company made the announcement today. It means that ONCOS-102 could be available to help people with pleural mesothelioma sooner.  Fast-track designation is for therapies with the potential to address serious medical conditions that have no good treatments. Right now, there is no cure for pleural mesothelioma and very few viable treatment options. The FDA based its decision on encouraging animal studies and early human trials of ONCOS-102.   Importance of Fast Track Designation ONCOS-102 is an experimental treatment made from a modified virus. The virus allows ONCOS-102 to overcome one of the biggest challenges…

Triple Therapy May Become New First-Line Treatment for Mesothelioma
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Triple Therapy May Become New First-Line Treatment for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A combination of three powerful mesothelioma therapies could become a new first-line treatment for mesothelioma if an upcoming clinical trial is successful. The makers of the experimental immunotherapy drug ONCOS-102 announced the new clinical trial. It will enroll up to 100 mesothelioma patients from around the world.  The trial will test ONCOS-102 along with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and standard chemotherapy. Keytruda is an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Both ONCOS-102 and Keytruda have shown some promise when combined with mesothelioma chemotherapy. Targovax hopes that the triple therapy approach will produce an even more powerful first-line treatment for mesothelioma. Clinic Trial of ONCOS-102 A first-line treatment is a treatment for mesothelioma patients who have not yet had any other therapies. Most patients start with…

Could ONCOS-102 Be a New First-Line Mesothelioma Treatment?
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Could ONCOS-102 Be a New First-Line Mesothelioma Treatment?

ByAlex Strauss

A new first-line mesothelioma treatment has moved a step closer to becoming reality.  New data show that the immunotherapy drug ONCOS-102 continues to look promising, nine months into a Phase I/II clinical trial. The drug was especially helpful to mesothelioma patients who had not yet had any treatment.  Norweigian drug maker Targovax made the announcement earlier this month. ONCOS-102 is an experimental drug based on a modified virus. The virus helps it target mesothelioma cells while leaving healthy cells alone. The latest results show ONCOS-102 helps standard mesothelioma chemotherapy work better. Targovax says the next step will be a larger test of the combination as a first-line mesothelioma treatment.  Clinical Trial of ONCOS-102 The power of ONCOS-102 comes from the…

Immunotherapy with ONCOS-102 Shows Promise for Mesothelioma
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Immunotherapy with ONCOS-102 Shows Promise for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

Early results are in on the latest trial of immunotherapy with ONCOS-102 and the news is good for pleural mesothelioma patients.  Norweigian drug maker Targovax released the news about ONCOS-102 earlier this week. The new drug is based on an oncolytic virus that targets mesothelioma cells. When the virus gets inside the cells, it triggers an immune response.  Early tests of immunotherapy with ONCOS-102 showed it helped mesothelioma chemotherapy work better. Now, a larger study appears to confirm the effect. The news could lead to new and better treatments for this intractable cancer.  What is an Oncolytic Virus? An oncolytic virus is a virus that targets cancer cells. ONCOS-102 was designed to seek out mesothelioma cells. It is made out…