(Alliance News) - Scancell Holdings PLC shares surged on Tuesday after the company announced positive results from the phase 2 clinical trial of its SCIB1 treatment for advanced melanoma.

Shares in Scancell were up 20% at 15.75 pence in London on Tuesday afternoon.

The Nottingham, England-based cancer immunotherapies developer said the first stage of its phase 2 Scope trial "[surpassed] its first milestone" with an 82% objective response rate for SCIB1, in combination with checkpoint inhibitors nivolumab and ipilimumab.

Scancell said this compared to a ORR of 50%, with a progression-free survival time of 11.5 months, in patients only receiving nivolumab and ipilimumab. Two patients from the Scope trial reached the 37 weeks evaluation point with an 87% to 94% reduction in total tumour burden.

"We are excited by these highly impressive results for SCIB1 combined with the doublet CPI therapy," said Chief Executive Officer Lindy Durrant. "We thought results from the Phase 1/2 trial evaluating SCIB1 as a monotherapy were positive but results from this combination are even more meaningful."

Durrant added: "Confirmation of this data in a larger cohort could make a significant impact on melanoma patient survival, especially as melanoma is now one of the most common cancers in young women."

The Scope trial is now in its second stage, and Scancell expects recruitment to complete by the end of this year, and for the data to become available in the first half of 2024.

By Emma Curzon, Alliance News reporter

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