Biovest International Inc. (OTCBB: BVTI), a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ABPI), today announced “highly encouraging” results for its controlled, pivotal phase 3 clinical trial of BiovaxID to treat the occasionally fatal blood cancer, indolent follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).
“Although these results are blinded, this data shows two distinct populations in the study, with unequivocal evidence of a difference in disease-free survival among the two arms. This is in direct contrast to previous anti-NHL vaccine failures which showed little difference between the treatment arm and the control arm. Based on the similar pattern to our phase 2 data, we have a high degree of confidence that the cohort demonstrating superior disease-free survival represents the BiovaxID arm,” Dr. Steven Arikian, chairman and CEO of Biovest International stated in the press release.
Arikian said the company monitored and recorded results of patients administered BiovaxID in an arm after 36 months, and the status of patients in the control arm 36 months after they received non-specific immunostimulant. The company reported blinded disease-free survival data for those patients that completed the 36 months of follow-ups and randomization in both arms. The arm with BiovaxID resulted in a 100 percent improvement in disease-free survival over the other arm. Disease-free survival represents the length of time patients remain in cancer-free remission.
“We know that in our phase 2 trial, the control arm showed a median disease-free survival of approximately 20 months, which is consistent with the inferior arm in our blinded phase 3 results, and supports our strong belief that the group demonstrating clinical benefit is the BiovaxID arm,” Dr. Angelos Stergiou, Biovest’s vice president of Product Development stated.
Shares soared nearly 24 percent to $1.34 on word of the tests.
Let us hear your thoughts below:
