Provectus’ PV-10 data for intralesional treatment of solid tumors presented at ASCO annual meeting

Provectus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT: PVCT), (http://www.pvct.com), a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, announced today that data on its investigational agent PV-10 for intralesional (IL) treatment of solid tumors were featured in two presentations in the Poster Highlights Session, Melanoma/Skin Cancers, on June 2, 2014 during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, IL.

The first highlighted abstract, presented by Sanjiv S. Agarwala, MD, of the St. Luke's Cancer Center, Bethlehem, PA, entitled "Efficacy of intralesional rose bengal in patients receiving injection in all existing melanoma in phase II study PV-10-MM-02" (abstract 9027), may be viewed at: http://abstracts.asco.org/144/AbstView_144_132320.html.

The second highlighted abstract, presented by Amod A. Sarnaik, MD, of Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, entitled "Assessment of immune and clinical efficacy after intralesional PV-10 in injected and uninjected metastatic melanoma lesions" (abstract 9028), may be viewed at: http://abstracts.asco.org/144/AbstView_144_132288.html.

In the phase 2 PV-10 trial, when all existing lesions were injected with PV-10, tumors were no longer detectable (complete response) in 50% of the patients (Confidence Interval: 31-69%). This subgroup analysis supports the potential of PV-10 as a single agent and provides a rationale for a PV-10 phase 3 randomized controlled trial in locally advanced melanoma patients.

This phase 3 randomized controlled trial of PV-10 in patients with unresectable locally advanced cutaneous melanoma will assess response to PV-10 vs that of systemic chemotherapy in patients who have disease limited to cutaneous and subcutaneous sites and who have failed or are ineligible for systemic immunotherapy. Progression-free survival and complete response rate will be assessed using standard criteria (RECIST 1.1). Overall survival and exploratory assessment of patient reported outcomes related to lesion pain and other melanoma symptoms will also be assessed. The study is expected to commence this year, and will allow for interim assessment when 50% of the required events have occurred (i.e., disease progressions).

The Moffitt abstract provided interim results of a pilot clinical trial designed to investigate the local and immunologic effects of tumor ablation with PV-10. Lead author, Dr. Sarnaik, noted "In the peripheral blood of patients after PV-10 injection, we saw a significant increase in circulating T-cells, including CD3+ and cytotoxic CD8+ cells. This suggests an immunologic-mediated antitumor response is engendered by PV-10. We are hoping to undertake combination trials that combine PV-10 with the promising systemic immunotherapies being developed by our medical oncology colleagues."

Eric Wachter, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of Provectus, observed that these results delineate two development paths to generate data sufficient for a new drug application (NDA) for PV-10 in melanoma.

Dr. Wachter concluded, "Our focus this year will be initiation of the phase 3 randomized controlled trial. We also expect to begin the more exploratory combinatorial work that potentially addresses the needs of patients with more advanced metastatic disease."