• 1/17/2007
  • Vienna, Austria
  • staff
  • UPI (www.upi.com)

U.S. firm Cel-Sci said Tuesday it has been cleared to launch a phase 3 study of it drug Multikine to treat head and neck cancer.

The company said it is conducting the multinational study of the drug to assess it ability to increase survival in patients with the disease, also known as “advanced primary squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.”

The study will determine whether Multikine, given locally prior to the current standard therapy, extends overall survival and enhances local and regional control of the disease, while increasing disease-free survival.

“So far Multikine has been shown to be non-toxic, which is very unusual for a cancer drug,” said Geert Kersten, CEO of Cel-Sci. “In phase 2 clinical studies with head and neck cancer patients it also markedly increased survival. Now we will get the chance to prove that Multikine can extend the survival of these cancer patients.”

Head and neck cancer affects about 500,000 people worldwide each year, the company said.