The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a clinical trial in the US for a lung cancer vaccine developed in Cuba.
Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, announced the approval on October 26 at a press conference at the Roswell ParkCancer Institute in Buffalo, where the trial will be conducted.
The vaccine, CimaVax, was developed for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and has been available in Cuba since 2011.
The vaccine targets the epidermal growth factor receptor. CIMAvax mechanism of action is to prevent binding of the endogenous epidermal growth factor to the receptors, thus denying tumors the growth factor.
CIMAvax has been in development for 25 years, and studies have shown it yields a survival advantage in comparison with supportive care. However, the benefit of the vaccine as not been considered game changing according to a previous report by Medscape Medical News.
To date, CIMAvax has been used to treat about 4000 patients worldwide. It is approved for use in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Cuba, Paraguay, and Peru, according to the Roswell Park Institute website.
Read the full report on CIMAvax from Medscape here.
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