VIENNA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE MKT: CVM) today announced that during the past three months it has enrolled 58 patients with advanced primary, not yet treated, head and neck cancer into its global pivotal Phase III head and neck cancer trial for its investigational immunotherapy Multikine* (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection). This quarterly enrollment represents a more than eight fold increase in enrollment compared to the same September to November quarter in 2013 when seven patients were enrolled. This brings the total number of patients enrolled in the Phase III study to about 310.
"During 2013 we had to dismiss Inventiv Clinical, LLC, the prior clinical research organization (CRO) running our Phase III study, for, among other things, lack of patient enrollment in the study. We hired two new companies in Inventiv’s place. As can be clearly seen from the rapid increase in enrollment under the new companies, the study is now proceeding quite well. Yet we are working to further increase enrollment with the aim of fully enrolling all patients by the end of 2015. Almost every month we are adding new clinical centers to the study," stated CEL-SCI Chief Executive Officer Geert Kersten.
A total of 880 patients are expected to be enrolled, through over 100 clinical centers in over 20 countries. Twenty patients were enrolled in the study in November 2014.
About Multikine Phase III Study
The Multikine Phase III study is enrolling patients with advanced primary, not yet treated, head and neck cancer. The objective of the study is to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in the overall survival of enrolled patients who are treated with the Multikine treatment regimen plus standard of care (SOC) vs. subjects who are treated with SOC only.
About Multikine
Multikine (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection) is an investigational immunotherapeutic agent that is being tested in an open-label, randomized, controlled, global pivotal Phase III clinical trial as a potential first-line treatment for advanced primary head and neck cancer. If approved for use following completion of CEL-SCI's clinical development program for head and neck cancer, Multikine would be a different type of therapy in the fight against cancer; one that appears to have the potential to work with the body's natural immune system in the fight against tumors. CEL-SCI is aiming to complete enrollment of subjects to the Phase III head and neck cancer study by the end of 2015. The trial is expected to expand into a total of approximately 120 clinical centers in over 20 countries.
In October 2013, CEL-SCI announced that it had signed a CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) with the U.S. Naval Medical Center, San Diego, to develop Multikine as a potential treatment for HIV/HPV co-infected men and women with peri-anal warts. CEL-SCI also announced that it entered into two new co-development agreements with Ergomed to further clinically develop Multikine for cervical dysplasia/neoplasia in women who are HIV/HPV co-infected and for peri-anal warts in men and women who are HIV/HPV co-infected.
About CEL-SCI Corporation
CEL-SCI’s work is focused on finding the best way to activate the immune system to fight cancer and infectious diseases. Its lead investigational therapy Multikine (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection) is currently being studied in a pivotal Phase III clinical trial against head and neck cancer. If the study endpoint, which is a 10% improvement in overall survival of the subjects treated with Multikine treatment regimen as compared to subjects treated with current standard of care only is satisfied, the study results will be used to support applications which will be submitted to regulatory agencies in order to receive from these agencies commercial marketing approvals for Multikine in major markets around the world. Additional clinical indications for Multikine which are being investigated include cervical dysplasia in HIV/HPV co-infected women, and the treatment of peri-anal warts in HIV/HPV co-infected men and women. A Phase I trial of the former indication has been completed at the University of Maryland. The latter indication is now in a Phase I trial in conjunction with the U.S. Navy under a CRADA.
CEL-SCI is also developing its LEAPS technology for the treatment of pandemic influenza and as a potential therapeutic vaccine against rheumatoid arthritis. The Company has recently received a Phase I SBIR Grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop LEAPS as a potential treatment for RA with researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Company has operations in Vienna, Virginia, and in/near Baltimore, Maryland.
For more information, please visit www.cel-sci.com.
* Multikine is the trademark that CEL-SCI has registered for this investigational therapy, and this proprietary name is subject to FDA review in connection with our future anticipated regulatory submission for approval. Multikine has not been licensed or approved for sale, barter or exchange by the FDA or any other regulatory agency. Similarly, its safety or efficacy has not been established for any use. Moreover, no definitive conclusions can be drawn from the early-phase, clinical-trials data involving the investigational therapy Multikine (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection). Further research is required, and early-phase clinical trial results must be confirmed in the well-controlled, Phase III clinical trial of this investigational therapy that is currently in progress.
When used in this report, the words "intends," "believes," "anticipated", “plans” and "expects" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, an inability to duplicate the clinical results demonstrated in clinical studies, timely development of any potential products that can be shown to be safe and effective, receiving necessary regulatory approvals, difficulties in manufacturing any of the Company's potential products, inability to raise the necessary capital and the risk factors set forth from time to time in CEL-SCI Corporation's SEC filings, including but not limited to its report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2013. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect the events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
