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Verrica Pharmaceuticals Announces Dosing of the First Patient in Part 2 of Phase 2 Study Evaluating VP-315 for the Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma
WEST CHESTER, Pa., April 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Verrica” or, the “Company”) (Nasdaq: VRCA), a dermatology therapeutics
About this update from Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"WEST CHESTER, Pa., April 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Verrica” or, the “Company”) (Nasdaq: VRCA), a dermatology therapeutics company developing medications for skin diseases requiring medical interventions, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in Part 2 of a Phase 2 study evaluating the Company’s potentially first-in-class oncolytic peptide, VP-315, for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma. Part 2 of the Phase 2 trial is designed to further explore dosing regimens to identify the recommended dose for Part 3 of the study, which is expected to start in the first half of 2024. “Our advancement into Part 2 of our ongoing Phase 2 study in basal cell carcinoma is based on the positive results from Part 1 of the study, where VP-315 demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile, and showed clinical evidence of activity in patients who received a higher dose range,” said Ted White, Verrica’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “As a novel oncolytic peptide administered directly at the tumor site, VP-315 has the potential to offer a non-surgical alternative for the approximately three to four million cases of basal cell carcinoma diagnosed in the U.S. each year.” About the Phase 2 Trial of VP-315 The Phase 2 trial is a 3-part, open-label, multicenter, dose-escalation, proof-of-concept study with a safety run-in designed to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of VP-315 when administered intratumorally to adults with biopsy-proven basal cell carcinoma. The study is expected to enroll approximately 66 adult subjects with a histological diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma in at least one eligible target lesion. For additional information about this clinical trial, please visit clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT05188729. About VP- 315 VP-315 is a potential first-in-class oncolytic peptide immunotherapy administered directly into a tumor to induce immunogenic cell death, which may offer a non-surgical option for patients suffering from skin cancer. The technology is based on pioneering research in “host defense peptides” – nature’s first line of defense towards foreign pathogens. VP-315 is a chemotherapeutic administered intratumorally and works by inducing lysis of intracellular organelles of tumor cells such as mitochondria, thereby unleashing a broad spectrum of tumor...