Advaxis says its vaccine can treat women already exposed to HPV

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, Feb. 27 - Advaxis, Inc. said Monday that it believes its vaccine for human papilloma virus (HPV) - a sexually transmitted infection and the primary cause of cervical cancer - can treat women already infected with the virus, unlike two other preventative vaccines gaining popularity.

Lovaxin C, the company's therapeutic cancer vaccine, is about to enter phase 1/ 2 clinical studies in women who already have been exposed to HPV and have cervical cancer, according to a company news release.

Central to Lovaxin C is the microbe Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium found in dairy products. This common microorganism has been found to help fight cancer by activating the body's own killer cells - cytotoxic T cells - to induce a stronger immune response to the presence of cancer cells, officials said.

When Listeria is introduced in the body, it has a powerful, direct stimulatory effect on tumor-killing T cells.

Lovaxin C teach the immune system to mount a specialized, targeted response lethal to cervical cancer, officials said.

Two preventative vaccines, Gardasil (Merck) and Cervarix (GlaxoSmithKline) that work against HPV are gaining favorable attention, officials said. The hope is that these vaccines could come close to eradicating cervical cancer.

The vaccines are intended to prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer when administered before the individual is exposed to certain types of HPV, officials said.

"These vaccines cannot help treat those already infected with HPV, many of whom may develop cervical cancer. The risk of cervical cancer will continue to exist until the vaccinated population is sufficiently large to reduce transmission. This advance will likely take decades," John Rothman, vice president of clinical development at Advaxis, said in the release.

"The upcoming preventative and Advaxis' therapeutic vaccines will be complementary to each other. Their collective development will be a positive step in the battle against cervical cancer," Rothman added.

Advaxis is a Princeton, N.J., biotechnology company that uses live genetically modified Listeria monocytogenes to treat cancers, infectious disease and problems of the immune system.

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