VentiRx Concentrates Its Bet on Cancer, and Seattle
Summary
VentiRx will now zero in all its efforts on an immune-boosting compound for cancer that it hopes will represent the next step ahead in the field since a couple of trailblazing treatments from Dendreon and Bristol-Myers Squibb secured FDA approval.The family of TLRs are key components of the body’s innate immune system-the first-line defense that recognizes foreign invaders at their point of entry under the skin, in the mucus linings of the nose, and in the gut.A fourth study, in collaboration with Ron Levy’s lab at Stanford University, will examine whether a direct injection of the VentiRx drug into tumors, in combination with radiation, will help patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.There are so many opportunities to combine this agent, we need to be judicious with our resources to pick the best opportunities.” If VentiRx can produce some convincing data for doctors, patients, regulators, and insurers, it could someday have a convenience advantage over a first-generation immunotherapy like Dendreon’s sipuleucel-T (Provenge).Like other immunotherapies, it has shown a mild side effect profile in early studies, meaning it should be easy to combine with more conventional antitumor drugs, like chemo and antibodies, without adding much toxicity, Hershberg says.