Vaccine for Lung Cancer Approved for Clinical Trial
- By BSTQ Staff
A lung cancer vaccine developed in Cuba has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a clinical trial at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. The three-year trial of CimaVax, a form of immunotherapy, began in November and was expected to involve between 60 and 90 adult patients with stage IIIB or stage IV nonsmall cell lung cancer. It will be tested in combination with Opdivo, an immunotherapy drug, which is already approved in the U.S., to see if pairing improves effectiveness.
Developed by Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology, CimaVax-EGF has been approved by a number of countries, including Paraguay and Peru. To date, more than 4,000 lung cancer patients have received the vaccine and have shown a significantly higher rate of survival, better quality of life and overall tumor stabilization.
References
- De Graaf M. A Vaccine for Lung Cancer? FDA Approves Clinical Trial for Groundbreaking Jab Created in Cuba. DailyMail, Oct. 27, 2016. Accessed at www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3879388/A-vaccine-lung-cancerFDA-approves-clinical-trial-ground-breaking-jab-created-Cuba.html.
- McGinley L. In a First, U.S. Trial to Test Cuban Lung-Cancer Vaccine. Miami Herald, Oct. 27, 2016. Accessed at www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article110811202.html.
