Phio Pharma Reports 100% Tumor Clearance In Final Dose Group Of Skin Cancer Trial

Phio Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ:PHIO) is a clinical-stage siRNA biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics using its proprietary INTASYL® gene silencing technology to eliminate cancer. Phio announced today the pathologic results for three patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) who completed treatment in the fifth and final dose cohort of Phio's on-going Phase 1b dose escalation trial: 100% tumor clearance in one of three patients, > 90% clearance in the second patient, and > 50% clearance in the third patient.

To date, a total of 18 patients with cutaneous carcinomas have completed treatment across five dose escalating cohorts in the Phase 1b trial. The cumulative pathologic response in 16 patients with cSCC include six with a complete response (100% clearance), two with a near complete response (> 90% clearance) and two with a partial response (> 50% clearance). A single patient with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma had a partial response (> 50% clearance). Six patients with cSCC and one patient with metastatic melanoma had a pathologic non-response (< 50% clearance). No patients in the study have exhibited clinical progression of disease. Phio may continue to screen and treat additional patients as part of the fifth cohort.

The trial is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of neoadjuvant use of intratumoral PH-762 in Stages 1, 2 and 4 cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), Stage 4 melanoma, and Stage 4 Merkel cell carcinoma (NCT# 06014086). Per the trial's protocol, patients receive four injections of PH-762 at weekly intervals and pathologic response is assessed approximately 5 weeks after the initial injection of PH-762.

"The encouraging outcomes of intratumoral PH-762 in patients who have received treatment thus far is a significant step in clinical development and highlights the promise of a viable non-surgical alternative treatment for cutaneous carcinomas," said Robert Bitterman, CEO and Chairman of Phio Pharmaceuticals.

In addition, the Safety Monitoring Committee (SMC) completed its pre-specified review of safety results for the first three patients in the fifth cohort and confirmed that there were no dose-limiting toxicities or clinically relevant treatment-emergent adverse effects at this maximum dose concentration. Further, there have been no dose-limiting toxicities or clinically relevant treatment-emergent adverse effects in any of the patients who have completed treatment with intratumoral PH-762 in this trial.