GeoVax Announces Phase 2 Plans for Gedeptin® Cancer Therapy Following Clinical Advisory Committee Review

Company plans Phase 2 trial in first-recurrence head & neck cancer, in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor

ATLANTA, GA, July 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GeoVax Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOVX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing immunotherapies and vaccines against cancer and infectious diseases, today announced the next steps for the clinical development of its Gedeptin® cancer therapy, following a clinical advisory committee review.

GeoVax and a specially convened clinical advisory committee have completed a comprehensive review of the recently completed PNP-002 Phase 1b/2a trial, together with the previously completed PNP-001 Phase 1 trial. The Phase 1b/2a trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of repeat cycles of Gedeptin therapy in patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), with tumor(s) accessible for injection and no curable treatment options. The protocol assessed up to five treatment cycles, each consisting of three intratumoral injections of Gedeptin over two days followed by infusion of a prodrug, fludarabine phosphate, once a day for three days. This review concluded that Gedeptin demonstrated acceptable safety and efficacy to support continued development. No new safety signals were identified in the PNP-002 trial in heavily pretreated head & neck cancer patients. The therapy demonstrated sufficient tumor stabilization/reduction activity to support plans to advance clinical development of Gedeptin in an expanded Phase 2 clinical trial.

The primary goal of the planned Phase 2 trial will be to establish efficacy of neoadjuvant Gedeptin therapy combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor in first-recurrence squamous cell head and neck cancer.  This trial is anticipated to be a single cycle trial with surgery to follow in approximately 6 patients with pathologic response rate as the primary endpoint.  The Company has initiated the necessary planning activities, including protocol development, manufacturing, and CRO selection with the trial activation anticipated during the first half of 2025.

“Based on the review of the two clinical trials completed with Gedeptin, we believe that this therapy, combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, has the potential to represent an active therapy against solid tumors.  As such, in alignment with the Gedeptin clinical advisory committee, we have initiated efforts in support of an expanded Phase 2 trial, combining Gedeptin with an immune checkpoint inhibitor as therapy in squamous cell head and neck cancer,” stated J. Marc Pipas, M.D., GeoVax Executive Medical Director, Oncology.

“We are pleased to announce the plans for this novel, expanded Phase 2 clinical trial of Gedeptin, seeking to demonstrate efficacy and safety of Gedeptin and an immune checkpoint inhibitor combination therapy in support of such neoadjuvant therapy. We look forward to activation of this trial and are pursuing development plans in additional solid tumor indications in partnership with leading academic oncology centers. Further updates will be provided during the remainder of 2024,” added David Dodd, GeoVax’s Chairman and CEO.

About Gedeptin®
Gedeptin is a novel patented product/technology for the treatment of solid tumors through a gene therapy strategy known as Gene-Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy (GDEPT). In GDEPT, a vector is used to selectively transduce tumor cells with a non-human gene, which expresses an enzyme that converts a nontoxic prodrug into a highly active antitumor compound in situ.

The Phase 1b/2a trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03754933) evaluated the safety and efficacy of repeat cycles of Gedeptin therapy in patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), with tumor(s) accessible for injection and no curable treatment options. The protocol entailed up to five treatment cycles, each consisting of three intratumoral injections of Gedeptin over two days followed by infusion of a prodrug, fludarabine phosphate, once a day for three days. A previously completed Phase 1 dose-ranging study demonstrated that treating a tumor with a single cycle of Gedeptin, followed by fludarabine infusions, was well tolerated, with evidence of a reduction in tumor size in patients with solid tumors.

The current study is being funded in part by the FDA pursuant to its Orphan Products Clinical Trials Grants Program.  The FDA has also granted Gedeptin orphan drug status for the intratumoral treatment of anatomically accessible oral and pharyngeal cancers, including cancers of the lip, tongue, gum, floor of mouth, salivary gland, and other oral cavities.

About GeoVax
GeoVax Labs, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel vaccines for many of the world’s most threatening infectious diseases and therapies for solid tumor cancers. The company’s lead clinical program is GEO-CM04S1, a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine for which GeoVax was recently awarded a BARDA-funded contract to sponsor a 10,000-participant Phase 2b clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of GEO-CM04S1 versus an approved COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, GEO-CM04S1 is currently in three Phase 2 clinical trials, being evaluated as (1) a primary vaccine for immunocompromised patients such as those suffering from hematologic cancers and other patient populations for whom the current authorized COVID-19 vaccines are insufficient, (2) a booster vaccine in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and (3) a more robust, durable COVID-19 booster among healthy patients who previously received the mRNA vaccines. In oncology the lead clinical program is evaluating a novel oncolytic solid tumor gene-directed therapy, Gedeptin®, in a multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical trial for advanced head and neck cancers. GeoVax has a strong IP portfolio in support of its technologies and product candidates, holding worldwide rights for its technologies and products. The Company has a leadership team who have driven significant value creation across multiple life science companies over the past several decades. For more information about the current status of our clinical trials and other updates, visit our website: www.geovax.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding GeoVax’s business plans. The words “believe,” “look forward to,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “will,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors, including whether: GeoVax is able to obtain acceptable results from ongoing or future clinical trials of its investigational products, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines can provoke the desired responses, and those products or vaccines can be used effectively, GeoVax’s viral vector technology adequately amplifies immune responses to cancer antigens, GeoVax can develop and manufacture its immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines with the desired characteristics in a timely manner, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will be safe for human use, GeoVax’s vaccines will effectively prevent targeted infections in humans, GeoVax’s immuno-oncology products and preventative vaccines will receive regulatory approvals necessary to be licensed and marketed, GeoVax raises required capital to complete development, there is development of competitive products that may be more effective or easier to use than GeoVax’s products, GeoVax will be able to enter into favorable manufacturing and distribution agreements, and other factors, over which GeoVax has no control.

Further information on our risk factors is contained in our periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-K that we have filed and will file with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.