Galena Biopharma Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative, targeted oncology treatments, has received a notice of allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a patent covering the use of its product candidate, NeuVax, a HER2/neu peptide vaccine, for inducing immunity to breast cancer recurrence in patients having low-to-intermediate IHC ratings of 1+ or 2+ and a FISH rating of less than about 2.0.

These patients represent a significant unmet medical need, with as much as 50-75 per cent of breast cancer patients who do not qualify for Herceptin therapy.

“This NeuVax patent reinforces its pioneering role in advancing treatment to reduce recurrence rates for breast cancer survivors,” stated Mark J Ahn, PhD, president and CEO. “This addition to our global portfolio allows us to further strengthen our value proposition and explore additional uses for NeuVax to advance care and build value for patients and shareholders.”

NeuVax is a peptide-based immunotherapy intended to reduce the recurrence of breast cancer in low-to-intermediate HER2-positive breast cancer patients not eligible for trastuzumab (Herceptin; Genentech/Roche). NeuVax is an immunotherapy that stimulates the immune system to actively seek out and selectively kill cancer cells. NeuVax directs "killer" T-cells to target and destroy cancer cells that express HER2/neu, a protein associated with epithelial tumors in breast, ovarian, pancreatic, colon, bladder and prostate cancers. NeuVax has been shown to be most effective in patients with low-to-intermediate HER2/neu expressers with HLA type A2+ or A3+.

NeuVax is comprised of two components: a HER2/neu-derived peptide called E75 and the immune adjuvant GM-CSF. E75 is a nine-amino acid sequence that is immunogenic (produces an immune response) and GM-CSF is a commercially available protein that acts to stimulate and activate components of the immune system such as macrophages and dendritic cells.

Galena Biopharma, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that develops innovative, targeted oncology treatments that address major unmet medical needs to advance cancer care.