Data from Oncolytics’ REOLYSIN Phase III combination trial on head and neck cancers

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. ("Oncolytics" or the "Company") (TSX:ONC, NASDAQ: ONCY) today provided an update on its Phase III trial of REOLYSIN in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel for the treatment of head and neck cancers (REO 018).

The Company has conducted an internal analysis of the blinded combined clinical data for all 80 patients enrolled in the first stage of the study. The study remains blinded at this time. At the time of the analysis, 23 patients of the 80 had not yet progressed but were included for the purposes of analysis. The median evolving progression free survival (PFS) of the 80 patients, which comprises the combined control and test groups, was greater than expected, as was the best response rate. On further examination, it was observed that patients for whom only metastatic disease was being measured by clinicians, were responding differently to treatment than patients who had local regional head and neck disease. Patients in whom only metastatic disease was measured had a median evolving PFS of 120 days, which was statistically significantly greater than those patients with a noted local regional head and neck tumor. There was a statistically significant difference in PFS between these two groups (n=80, p=0.008, hazard ratio=0.536). Oncolytics therefore believes that, based on differential PFS, it has identified two distinct patient groups are being enrolled in this clinical study, patients with local recurrent disease, with or without metastases, and those with distal metastases. Each of these two groups contains patients from both the control and test arms of the study. Oncolytics believes that these two groups of patients must therefore be considered to be different for the purpose of both analysis and investigation.

The Company has consulted with its principal investigators and the independent statistician for the study, and, on September 10, 2012, met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C. Based on these discussions, the Company plans to expand enrollment in the first stage of the study to include 160 patients, all of whom have now been enrolled. Oncolytics intends to introduce an additional segregation to differentiate between patients with local recurrent disease, with or without metastases, and patients with distal metastases. Based on the analysis of the 160 patients, Oncolytics expects to generate randomized data from two discrete patient populations.  The Company believes this will provide a sufficient number of patients to conduct a meaningful analysis of the two identified patient groups, as well as increased powering for the overall analysis. Oncolytics intends to treat this expanded first stage of the REO 018 clinical trial as a separate supportive study to a planned registration study that will be similar to, and take the place of, the original second stage of the REO 018 clinical trial. Enrollment in the first stage of the study is complete and no additional patients will be enrolled pending approval of a planned registration study. The Company intends to submit protocol amendments to regulators in the immediate near term to reflect these changes. It will require additional time to follow the expanded group of patients and allow the evolving PFS data to mature.

"Segregating and separately evaluating the two identified patient groups means we will be able to obtain our first randomized data in these two patient populations, including one with only metastatic disease," said Dr. Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Oncolytics. "All six of our randomized Phase II studies are examining indications with significant metastatic disease involvement. Patients with metastatic disease represent a large potential market."