Dutch authorise manufacture of Vaccinogen's new cancer vaccine
Dutch health authorities have licensed US biopharma company Vaccinogen to manufacture its OncoVAX anti-colon cancer vaccine, clearing the way to more than US$100m (Euro 65m) of potential European sales.
Dutch health authorities have licensed US biopharma company Vaccinogen to manufacture its OncoVAX anti-colon cancer vaccine, clearing the way to more than US$100m (Euro 65m) of potential European sales.
The Dutch licence permits Vaccinogen to commercialise the vaccine first in Switzerland and then in seven other countries in Eastern Europe. The OncoVAX vaccine claims to represent a potential medical breakthrough because it uses a patient's own cancer cells to prevent the cancer from returning after a successful operation to remove it.
Approval of the company's facility, based in Emmen in the Netherlands, also paves the way to its pivotal US FDA Phase IIIb clinical trial - the final step before the vaccine can be sold in the US.
"The facility can produce up to 3,500 vaccines annually, equivalent to $130m ( €85m) in revenues, That number only scratches the surface of potential demand for a Stage II colon cancer vaccine." said Dr Michael G. Hanna, Jr., Vaccinogen ceo.
"This manufacturing licence is a major milestone for Vaccinogen as it begins to generate revenues from OncoVAX," He added. "It's also a major leap towards the worldwide acceptance of individualised cancer vaccines."