Aratana Therapeutics secures USDA conditional license for canine osteosarcoma vaccineJanuary 10, 2018Aratana Therapeutics announced that its canine osteosarcoma vaccine, Live Listeria Vector (AT-014), has been granted a conditional license by the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics for the treatment of dogs diagnosed with osteosarcoma, 1 year of age or older. The vaccine is a novel immunotherapy developed by using a listeria-based antigen delivery system licensed from Advaxis Inc. "Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumor in dogs and, since there haven't been advances to raise the standard of care in nearly 20 years, dogs often face a poor prognosis," said Ernst Heinen, DVM, Ph.D., chief development officer of Aratana Therapeutics. "We are hopeful that our canine osteosarcoma vaccine will be a new tool for veterinary oncologists to prolong survival in dogs with osteosarcoma." According to the company, the vaccine is a lyophilized formulation of a modified live, attenuated strain of listeria that activates cytotoxic T-cells. The therapeutic expresses a tumor-associated antigen that directs T-cells to fight cancer cells, even after the bacteria are cleared; the therapeutic capitalizes on the dog's immune system and its ability to attack bacterial infections, redirecting it to fight cancer cells, the company stated. Data from a clinical study …
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