Antigenics' Oncophage Data Boosts Shares

Antigenics (AGEN-NASDAQ) saw its shares pop more than 20% as it released data in apress release regarding its Oncophage trials. The company’s follow-up ‘end of study’ data on Phase III therapeutic cancer cvaccines showed that in a substantial subset of patients at intermediate risk for disease recurrence, Oncophage demonstrated a clinically significant improvement in recurrence-free survival of approximately 45 percent; and for intermediate-risk patients there was a trend towards improved overall survival, the study’s secondary endpoint.

This data was presented at the American Urological Association and this may be the only such treatments approved for these patients.  This data may be new observations, but the cut off date was back in January of 2006.  Since the cut off date the survival rates have been better and the recurrence rates lower in Oncophage versus the observation arm.  Adverse events reported during the trial were generally mild and expected. The more frequently reported adverse events were mainly constitutional in nature or related to the actual injection.

This just goes to show that even if data from other companies was leaking out last week, investors will still follow and still chase certain untreated cancers for their speculative portfolios. AGEN shares are up more than 25% at $3.37 on three-times normal trading volume.

Jon C. Ogg
May 21, 2007

Jon Ogg can be reached at [email protected]; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.