Oncolytics initiates enrollment in Phase II ovarian cancer study

Dec 2 2010

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. ("Oncolytics") (TSX:ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY) announced today the start of enrollment in a randomized Phase II ovarian cancer study. The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) is conducting the randomized Phase II trial of weekly paclitaxel versus weekly paclitaxel with REOLYSIN^® in patients with persistent or recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer (GOG186H). The study is being sponsored by the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, under its Clinical Trials Agreement with Oncolytics. Oncolytics will provide clinical supplies of REOLYSIN for this study. The Study Chair is Dr. David E. Cohn of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

"Treating recurrent ovarian cancer is challenging since the response rates to many chemotherapy regimens is relatively poor," said Dr. David E. Cohn. "Novel and targeted approaches to treating this disease hold promise in improving the outcome for women with recurrent ovarian cancer, while potentially limiting the side effects associated with standard chemotherapy."

The study is a randomized Phase II trial of weekly paclitaxel versus weekly paclitaxel with REOLYSIN in patients with persistent or recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer. Patients will be randomized to receive either paclitaxel alone or paclitaxel plus REOLYSIN. Patients in both arms will receive treatment with paclitaxel, with the second arm also receiving intravenous REOLYSIN. Patients will receive standard doses of paclitaxel on days one, eight, and 15 every 28 days. In the second arm, patients will also receive, on days one through five of each 28-day cycle, intravenous REOLYSIN at a dose of 3x10¹⁰ TCID₅₀.

The primary objectives of the trial are to estimate the progression-free survival hazard ratio of the combination of weekly paclitaxel with REOLYSIN to weekly paclitaxel alone in patients with persistent or recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer and to determine the frequency and severity of adverse events associated with treatment with weekly paclitaxel alone and weekly paclitaxel with REOLYSIN as assessed by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). The secondary objectives are to estimate the progression-free survival and overall survival of patients treated with weekly paclitaxel alone and weekly paclitaxel with REOLYSIN; to estimate (and compare) the proportion of patients who respond to the regimen on each arm of the study (according to RECIST 1.1 with measurable patients and by CA-125 for those patients with detectible disease only); and to characterize and compare progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with measurable disease (RECIST 1.1 criteria) and patients with detectable (nonmeasurable) disease. The study is expected to enroll up to 150 patients.

Information on the study will be available at www.clinicaltrials.gov.