Canary Bio's Oregovomab Expands Indications from Ovarian Cancer to Cervical Cancer

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Canaria Bio (CEO Hanik Na) announced on the 14th that it plans to expand the indication of 'Oregobomab,' currently under development as an ovarian cancer treatment, to cervical cancer.

Oregobomab, an immuno-oncology drug developed by Canaria Bio, has a mechanism of action that binds to the cancer marker CA125, activating the patient's immune cells to kill cancer cells. Theoretically, it can be applied to all cancers that overexpress CA125.

In a Phase 2 clinical trial conducted on ovarian cancer patients with CA125 overexpression, Oregobomab showed encouraging results by extending progression-free survival by as much as 30 months. Currently, a global Phase 3 clinical trial is underway.

CA125 is a high-molecular-weight glycoprotein on the cell surface, first reported in epithelial ovarian cancer in 1981, and is known to be abnormally elevated not only in ovarian cancer but also in cervical cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, and gastrointestinal cancers.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, with approximately 604,000 new cases and about 342,000 deaths reported in 2020. In South Korea, the number of cervical cancer patients increased by 15% from 54,603 in 2015 to 63,051 in 2019. Although the incidence of cervical cancer is decreasing globally, the incidence rate in South Korea remains high.

Cervical cancer is primarily caused by infection with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). It is known that 90% of intraepithelial tumors are caused by this virus. Among various cancers, cervical cancer is the only one preventable by vaccination, which is reported to prevent over 70% of cases when vaccinated.

Although cervical cancer is preventable by vaccine, early symptoms are not distinct, and many cases are detected after the cancer has significantly progressed, so the need for treatment development continues to be raised. Globally, more focus has been placed on preventive vaccine development rather than treatments, so there is currently no cervical cancer-specific drug therapy. Surgical procedures such as cervical conization are heavily relied upon, and thus, for patients at high risk of surgical complications, such as those planning pregnancy and childbirth, there is an urgent need for non-surgical drug treatments.

A company official stated, “Oregobomab, which demonstrated clinical efficacy in a Phase 2 trial targeting ovarian cancer with CA125, is expected to yield good results in cervical cancer patients who overexpress CA125 as well,” adding, “Based on the existing safety data of Oregobomab, we are establishing a development plan targeting cervical cancer patients where possible.”