Viragen Antibody Enhances Effect of Leading Cancer Drug

Viragen's anticancer product, the anti-CD55 antibody, was found to significantly enhance the activity of Rituxan when both drugs were used together in a cell-based evaluation study.

The anti-CD55 antibody is under an exclusive option from Cancer Research Technology (UK), and is being developed for the treatment of a broad range of solid tumors. These preliminary results indicate its potential in improving the efficacy of leading cancer therapies. Previous laboratory studies confirmed that the anti-CD55 antibody binds to a specific target expressed on the surface of tumor cells and removes one of the tumor's most important protective mechanisms, thereby making cancer cells vulnerable to attack by the immune system or other anticancer products.

In this in vitro study, the antibody was combined with Rituxan (Rituximab), a leading cancer medication with global sales of more than $1.5 billion in 2004 that is jointly marketed by Biogen Idec and Genentech. The results showed that the combination of the anti-CD55 antibody and Rituxan led to a significant increase in the destruction of cancer cells as compared to Rituxan alone. The study was conducted by researchers at Viragen (Scotland).