Ph 2 Prostate Cancer Results Strong Safety and 40% Response
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
RESULTS FROM RMWC FUNDED PHASE II PROSTATE CANCER TRIAL USING INV043
– STRONG SAFETY PROFILE AND 40% POSITIVE RESPONSE RATE
Highlights:
RMW Cho Group Limited (RMWC) has provided Invion a report authored by Scendea
detailing a recently completed investigator-led Phase II prostate cancer trial using the
photosensitiser INV043
The trial results showed that INV043 administered sublingually (under the tongue) has a
solid safety profile and demonstrated promising efficacy signals three months post
treatment:
o A regime of 6 cycles of INV043 treatments was very well tolerated by patients
o No serious adverse events were experienced and all side effects reported were
mild
o 40% of patients showed a positive response as measured by the RECIST 1.1
standard (10% had complete response)
o 44% of patients had negative PSMA-PET results 3 months post treatment
The positive safety and efficacy signals for INV043 opens the potential for treatment of
prostate cancer without the serious side effects associated with conventional
treatments
The safety data from the trial indicates potential for INV043 to be administered
systemically in future clinical trials including via sublingual and IV routes
The global prostate cancer market is expected to grow to ~US$27.5 billion by 2032
(8.7% CAGR from 2023 to 2032)4
INV043 is the same active pharmaceutical ingredient that Invion is using in its Ph I/II
skin cancer trial (topical formulation)
MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA) 18 September 2024: Invion Limited (ASX: IVX) (“Invion” or the
“Company”) wishes to announce that RMW Cho Group Limited (RMWC), the licensor of the
Photosoft™ technology, has successfully completed a Phase II prostate cancer trial1
(ACTRN12621000633886) using a sublingual (under the tongue) formulation of INV043, the
same active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in the topical formulation that Invion is using for
its Phase I/II non-melanoma skin cancer trial.
RMWC provided Invion with a clinical study summary report collated by Scendea Limited
(Scendea) using information received and relied upon from RMWC based on the results of the
investigator-led and open label trial that was fully funded by RMWC. Scendea is a leading
pharmaceutical development and regulatory consulting group.
The Phase II prostate cancer trial used six treatment cycles of INV043 as a monotherapy. It was
found to be safe and well tolerated by patients with no serious adverse events experienced
and all side effects reported were mild.
In terms of efficacy signals, 40% of patients showed a positive response to the treatment with
10% demonstrating complete regression as measured by the Response Evaluation Criteria in
1 The existence of this trial was disclosed in multiple Invion presentations released to the ASX from 2021
(https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20211109/pdf/452rfs8zcjklyd.pdf)
Invion Limited ABN 76 094 730 417
100 Albert Road, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
P: +61 3 9692 7222 W: www.inviongroup.com
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
Solid Tumours (RECIST) 1.1 framework – a standard way to measure the response of a tumour
to treatment.
Further, 44% of patients had negative Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen – Positron Emission
Tomography (PSMA-PET) results three months post treatment (all patients were positive before
the treatment).
The report concluded that “the favourable safety profile and the preliminary efficacy results
are promising and warrant further investigation of INV043”. Further details of the study are
included in the sections below.
In contrast, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery (which are currently mainstream
treatment options) carry risks of significant side effects, such as urinary incontinence, bowel
dysfunction, erectile dysfunction and /or infertility2. Due to these risks, the standard of care is
to monitor the cancer until it progresses to a point where the benefits of these treatments
outweigh the risks.
However, this approach may cause anxiety among patients who will have to live with the
cancer without knowing if it will one day become more severe or even life-threatening.
Commenting on the results, Invion’s Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Thian
Chew said:
“It’s very exciting to see these results for our lead cancer candidate, INV043. The
results showed that INV043 can be safely administered and activated with light to
treat prostate cancer. It also highlighted its potential to be safely administered
systemically to patients, including via sublingual and even IV routes.
“Together with the positive efficacy signals from this trial, this points to the prospect
of INV043 to become an effective treatment for prostate cancer without the
devastating side effects that can be associated with conventional treatments.”
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men3. The global prostate cancer
market is expected to grow to around US$27.5 billion by 2032, representing a compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% over the forecast period from 2023 to 20324.
Invion’s patented lead Photosensitiser, INV043, was developed to preferentially target and
accumulate in tumour cells, and not healthy cells. The trial design focused on the safety and
efficacy of sublingually administrated INV043 as a monotherapy and the use of a laser probe
to apply red light to the prostate/prostatic fossa using transurethral and/or transrectal
intraluminal techniques.
On the back of these results, Invion is exploring opportunities to progress this program into a
larger trial that may explore avenues to further improve response rates including combination
therapies with immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). In vivo studies
undertaken separately by the Peter MaCallum Cancer Centre and Hudson Institute of Medical
Research found INV043 to dramatically improve the effectiveness of ICIs on various cancers5.
2 https://www.pcf.org/about-prostate-cancer/prostate-cancer-side-effects/
3 https://www.wcrf.org/cancer-trends/prostate-cancer-statistics/
4 https://www.precedenceresearch.com/prostate-cancer-market
5 https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20240304/pdf/0614byrl2c4ww0.pdf and
https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20220530/pdf/459ffkjbvdpjrg.pdf
Invion Limited ABN 76 094 730 417
100 Albert Road, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
P: +61 3 9692 7222 W: www.inviongroup.com
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
Background to Study
A total of 75 patients were originally planned for the trial, but only 41 male patients with
prostate cancer were enrolled because the trial was terminated early due to challenges
related to disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Of those, 31 were treated with
photodynamic therapy (PDT): three (3) patients from Group A (biopsy proven primary prostate
cancer) and 28 from Group B (primary prostate cancer diagnosed by PSMA-PET or MRI).
The first 25 patients (first cohort) were enrolled in the study during the COVID-19 pandemic lock
downs in Melbourne, Australia. Ten dropped out of the study prior to treatment due largely to
geographical or compliance reasons. For the remaining 15, collection of data and
compliance with protocol specified assessments were challenging and inconsistent during this
period. Therefore, a decision was made to focus on widely used endpoints for assessment of
efficacy and safety only.
There were 16 patients aged between 50-80 years who were treated after the COVID-19
pandemic (second cohort). They were selected for analysis because they had complete and
evaluable data. As the dose in the first cohort did not show any significant adverse events,
the dose was doubled to 0.9ml for the second cohort of patients.
Clinical Trial Design
The clinical trial participants underwent a total of six (6) cycles of PDT treatments over a nine
(9) week period, administered in rounds of two (2) cycles on sequential days with a 4-week
interval before the subsequent rounds. Each PDT cycle consisted of two steps:
Step 1: Sublingual administration of photosensitiser INV043.
Step 2: Approximately 15-20 hours after dosing, 25 min of 660 nm laser light was
administered.
The study’s primary endpoint objective was to assess PDT treatment effectiveness using
Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST 1.1). Secondary endpoint objectives
aimed to assess PDT safety and tolerability as well as further assess PDT effectiveness using
standard outcome measures.
Based on the original trial protocol, it was planned that statistical analyses were performed
using SPSS (PASW version 26). Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Continuous variables
were to be analysed between groups by Student t-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA),
and categorical variables were to be analysed by Chi-square test.
However, due to the challenges created by the pandemic and the small number of evaluable
patients, no formal statistical analysis was performed.
Safety Data on INV043
INV043 appeared to be safe and well-tolerated when administrated sublingually to patients
over the six cycles of PDT treatments.
There were no serious adverse events (SAEs), life-threatening treatment emergent adverse
events (TEAEs), or TEAEs leading to death reported in the study. All adverse events reported
were mild and included fever, fatigue, headache and soreness.
Invion Limited ABN 76 094 730 417
100 Albert Road, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
P: +61 3 9692 7222 W: www.inviongroup.com
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
There were also no clinically significant changes in vital signs, ECGs, or clinical laboratory
parameters reported.
Efficacy Data: PSMA-PET
All patients in the second cohort were positive for prostate cancer prior to starting the
treatment regime when scanned using a PSMA-PET scan, which is used to detect prostate
cancer throughout the body. Three months post treatment, 44% (7 out of 16) showed a
negative result in a follow-up PSMA-PET scan.
n=16
16 patients testing positive
9 patients testing positive
(7 testing negative)
Efficacy Data: RECIST
Where possible, MRI scans were performed pre- and post-treatment to measure the size of
lesions in the prostate. Out of the 16 evaluable patients in the second cohort, two (2) patients
had undergone prostatectomy prior to the treatment and four (4) patients did not have MRI
scans for various reasons (such as the presence of implants) and were excluded from the
RECIST 1.1 analysis.
n=16
Of the remaining 10 evaluable patients, 40% showed a positive response and the breakdown
of the results are:
One (1) patient showed complete regression (no detectable lesion).
Three (3) patients showed partial regression (>30% reduction in lesion size).
Four (4) patients showed stable disease.
Two (2) patients showed disease progression (>30% increase in lesion size).
Invion Limited ABN 76 094 730 417
100 Albert Road, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
P: +61 3 9692 7222 W: www.inviongroup.com
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
The Phase II prostate cancer trial was funded by RMWC and sponsored by the National
Institute of Integrative Medicine, Victoria.
This announcement was approved for release by the Board of Directors.
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Investor and Media enquiries:
Thian Chew (Chairman & CEO)
T: +61 3 9692 7222
E: investor@inviongroup.com
Brendon Lau (Investor & Media Relations)
M: +61 409 341 613
E: brendon.lau@inviongroup.com
About Invion
Invion is a life-science company that is leading the global research and development of the
Photosoft™ technology for the treatment of a range of cancers, atherosclerosis and infectious
diseases. Invion holds the exclusive Australia and New Zealand license rights and exclusive
distribution rights to Hong Kong and the rest of Asia Pacific, excluding China, Macau, Taiwan
and Japan, to the Photosoft technology for all cancer indications. It also holds the exclusive
rights to the technology in Asia and Oceania, excluding China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau,
the Middle East and Russia for atherosclerosis and infectious diseases, and subsequently
acquired the rights to the United States, Canada and Hong Kong for infectious diseases.
Research and clinical cancer trials are funded by the technology licensor, RMW Cho Group
Limited. Invion is listed on the ASX (ASX: IVX).
About Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
Invion is developing PhotosoftTM technology as a novel next generation Photodynamic
Therapy (PDT). PDT uses non-toxic photosensitisers and light to selectively kill cancer cells and
promote an anti-cancer immune response. Less invasive than surgery and with minimal side
effects, PDT offers an alternative treatment option aimed at achieving complete tumour
regression and long-lasting remission. PDT has also demonstrated broad-spectrum activity
across multiple infectious diseases, including bacteria, fungi and viruses. Photosoft has the
potential to address the global challenge of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”.
Invion Limited ABN 76 094 730 417
100 Albert Road, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
P: +61 3 9692 7222 W: www.inviongroup.com
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