ONCOLYTIC VIRUS THERAPY MARKET ANALYSIS

Market News

Recent Developments

New product

• Imlygic (talimogene laherparepvec): Imlygic is an oncolytic virus therapy developed by Amgen, a biotechnology company. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2015 for the treatment of unresectable melanoma lesions in the skin and lymph nodes. Imlygic was one of the first oncolytic virus therapies to receive regulatory approval.
• T-VEC (talimogene laherparepvec): T-VEC, also known as Imlygic, is the same oncolytic virus therapy developed by Amgen as mentioned above. It received marketing authorization in Europe in 2015 for the treatment of adults with unresectable melanoma that is regionally or distantly metastatic.
• DNX-2440 (tasadenoturev): DNX-2440 is an oncolytic adenovirus therapy developed by DNAtrix. It has shown promise in early clinical trials for the treatment of glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. While the exact approval and launch dates may vary, the product has been under development and evaluated in clinical trials.

Partnerships and Acquisitions

• Merck & Co. and Viralytics: In February 2018, Merck & Co., known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada, acquired Viralytics, an Australian biotechnology company specializing in oncolytic virus therapies. This acquisition aimed to strengthen Merck's position in the field of oncolytic virus therapy and advance the development of innovative cancer treatments.
• Pfizer and Western Oncolytics: In May 2019, Pfizer, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation entered into a collaboration with Western Oncolytics, a biotechnology company focused on developing oncolytic virus therapies. The partnership aimed to combine Pfizer's expertise in immuno-oncology with Western Oncolytics' viral therapy platform to develop potential new treatments for cancer.
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Vyriad, Inc.: In November 2019, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company, and Vyriad, Inc., a clinical-stage company, announced a research collaboration and option licensing agreement focused on the development of new oncolytic (cancer-killing) virus-based treatments for various forms of cancer. The agreement includes a Phase 2 clinical study, slated to begin in 2020, evaluating Regeneron's PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo (cemiplimab-rwlc) in combination with Vyriad's oncolytic virus Voyager-V1 in multiple types of cancer, including melanoma, lung, liver, and endometrial cancers. The companies will also enter into a five-year research effort that utilizes Regeneron's VelociSuite technologies to jointly design and validate novel Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV)-based oncolytic virus treatments.
• Merck & Co. and Oncorus: In June 2020, Merck & Co. announced a collaboration with Oncorus, a biotechnology company specializing in oncolytic virus therapies. The partnership aimed to leverage Oncorus' oncolytic virus platform to develop next-generation viral immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer.
• AbbVie and Turnstone Biologics: In January 2021, AbbVie, a pharmaceutical company announced an acquisition of Turnstone Biologics, a biotechnology company focused on the development of oncolytic viral immunotherapies. This acquisition aimed to strengthen AbbVie's oncology pipeline and expand its capabilities in the field of oncolytic virus therapy.
• Virogin Biotech and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: In September 2022, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Virogin Biotech, a biotechnology company, announced a strategic collaboration to accelerate the development of investigational treatments, including oncolytic viruses and immunotherapies, for patients with advanced cancers. The agreement brings together MD Anderson’s clinical trial expertise and infrastructure with Virogin’s innovative pipeline of investigational oncolytic viruses. The five-year collaboration will support the clinical development of Virogin’s therapies with multiple clinical trials in various cancer types to evaluate the safety and clinical benefit of these therapies and to identify prognostic biomarkers of response.
• In December 2021, Synthetic Biologics, Inc., a diversified clinical-stage company developing therapeutics designed to treat diseases in areas of high unmet need, announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire VCN Biosciences, S.L., which is developing a new oncolytic adenovirus (OV) platform designed for intravenous (IV) delivery to trigger tumor cell death and promote immune cell infiltration into tumors.