Avant shares soar on positive cancer vaccine data

On the same day that Ted Kennedy was undergoing brain surgery to remove a tumor, researchers were pouring over new data for an experimental cancer vaccine designed to combat glioblastoma multiforme tumors. In a small study directed by Duke University's John Sampson, 23 patients appear to be on track to deliver a median overall survival rate of 33.1 months where the historical median is 14.3 months. Pfizer obtained the license for CDX-110 earlier this year from Avant Immunotherapeutics, which saw its stock price soar 34 percent on the news.  

"So far it's encouraging to see ACT II replicate Activate, and basically double both time-to-progression and (projected) overall survival in comparison to the historical control," said Brean Murray & Co. analyst Jonathan Aschoff.

- see Avant's release
- read the AP report
- check out the story from Forbes

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