Sotio AS Begins Phase III Clinical Trial For Prostate Cancer Drug

Sotio AS, which is a biotechnology company based in the Czech Republic, has announced that it is beginning Phase III clinical trials for its prostate cancer treatment, DCVAC/PCa. DCVAC is an immunotherapy treatment. Unlike conventional pharmaceutical cancer drugs, immunotherapy treatments use the body’s own immune system to target cancer cells. Researchers believe that after the immune system has killed cancer cells, it will remember them, preventing the spread of cancer and limiting the risk of remission in the future.

ASCO begins its meetings today in Chicago, and Sotio’s spokesman, Richard Kapsa, has stated that it will be detailing abstracts on the clinical progress of the drug’s research and treatment. The company’s Phase III trial will enroll a total of 1,170 patients in both the U.S. and in the EU. The Phase III trial is larger than the other successful smaller trials that the company has already completed. The company has already said that it expects the Phase III clinical trials to last for four years. The trials officially began in Hungary last week. Medical centers in 20 different countries are involved in the Phase III trial, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Poland, Russia, the UK, and the US. After successful completion of Phase III trials, the company can move toward commercial use of the drug.

Sotio AS also has ovarian cancer and lung cancer drugs that are in different stages of clinical trials. The company was founded in 2010 by Prague hospital researchers, and in 2012 it was acquired by Petr Kellner’s investment firm, PPF Group.

The company is set to present its prostate cancer treatment at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which the company considers part of the process of preparing the treatment for commercial registration.