Announcement • Aug 08
Theriva Biologics Doses First Patient in Virage2 Phase 2A Clinical Trial to Evaluate More Frequent Dosing of Vcn-01 in First-Line Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Theriva Biologics had dosed the first patient in the VIRAGE2 Phase 2a clinical trial, a small proof-of-concept study evaluating more frequent repeated dosing of VCN-01 (zabilugene almadenorepvec) in first-line metastatic PDAC patients treated with standard-of-care gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy. Enrollment into the VIRAGE2 trial is expected to be completed in Second Half 2026 and initial pharmacodynamic and safety/tolerability data are anticipated by Third Quarter 2027. Results from this trial will inform the VCN-01 dosing regimen for potential evaluation in a future pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial. The VIRAGE2 clinical trial is based on observations from the VIRAGE Phase 2b clinical trial in metastatic PDAC patients where patients administered 2 doses of VCN-01 in combination with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel standard-of-care chemotherapy exhibited improved overall survival, progression-free survival, and duration of response compared to patients treated with standard-of-care chemotherapy alone. Both European Medicines Agency scientific advice and U.S. Food and Drug Administration meeting feedback recognized the improved survival in the group treated with 2 doses of VCN-01, and raised the possibility of more frequent, repeated dosing of VCN-01 in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapy to potentially improve clinical outcomes. VIRAGE2 is a Phase 2a, single-arm, open-label, clinical trial in 6 evaluable patients with histologically confirmed, newly diagnosed metastatic PDAC enrolled at a single site in Spain. Patients are intended to receive at least three “macrocycles” of VCN-01 (zabilugene almadenorepvec) and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel standard-of-care chemotherapy, followed by standard-of-care gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel cycles until disease progression. In each VCN-01 macrocycle, intravenous VCN-01 is administered on day 1 followed by gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel standard-of-care chemotherapy on days 8, 15, 22, 36, 43, and 50. Macrocycles are repeated on days 57 and 113. The primary objective of the VIRAGE2 trial is to evaluate whether administration of at least 3 doses of VCN-01, with approximately 2 months between doses, is well tolerated by patients without adversely impacting VCN-01 pharmacodynamics. Primary endpoints for the trial are the adverse event profile and levels of VCN-01 viral genomes in blood. Secondary endpoints include objective response rate, duration of response, progression free survival, overall survival, and circulating levels of anti-VCN-01 neutralizing antibodies. Exploratory endpoints include estimates of potential VCN-01 shedding by measuring VCN-01 viral genomes in sputum and stool. The study is designed with 80% power to detect a difference in VCN-01 viral genome levels between the second and first VCN-01 doses with a 2-sided alpha of 0.05. The study is not formally powered for evaluation of clinical efficacy endpoints and is intended to support evaluation of the potential efficacy of the more frequent repeated dosing regimen in subsequent clinical trials. VCN-01 (zabilugene almadenorepvec) is a systemically administered oncolytic adenovirus designed to selectively and aggressively replicate within tumor cells and degrade the tumor stroma that serves as a significant physical and immunosuppressive barrier to cancer treatment. This unique mode-of-action enables VCN-01 to exert multiple antitumor effects by (i) selectively infecting and lysing tumor cells; (ii) enhancing the access and perfusion of co-administered chemotherapy products; and (iii) increasing tumor immunogenicity and exposing the tumor to the patient’s immune system and co-administered immunotherapy products. Systemic administration enables VCN-01 to exert its actions on both the primary tumor and metastases. With the first patient dosed in VIRAGE2, VCN-01 has been administered to 143 patients in Company- and investigator-sponsored clinical trials in different cancers, including PDAC (in combination with chemotherapy), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (with an immune checkpoint inhibitor), ovarian cancer (with CAR-T cell therapy), colorectal cancer, and retinoblastoma (by intravitreal injection). VCN-01 has also been made available for compassionate use in retinoblastoma patients, and 2 patients have been treated in this program. New Risk • Jul 24
New major risk - Market cap size The company's market capitalization is less than US$10m. Market cap: US$9.96m This is considered a major risk. Companies with a small market capitalization are most likely businesses that have not yet released a product to market or are simply a very small company without a wide reach. Either way, risk is elevated with these companies because there is a chance the product may not come to fruition or the company's addressable market or demand may not be as large as expected. In addition, if the company's size is the main factor, it is less likely to have many investors and analysts following it and scrutinizing its performance and outlook. Currently, the following risks have been identified for the company: Major Risks Less than 1 year of cash runway based on free cash flow trend (-US$14m free cash flow). Earnings are forecast to decline by an average of 21% per year for the foreseeable future. Shareholders have been substantially diluted in the past year (407% increase in shares outstanding). Revenue is less than US$1m (US$300k revenue). Market cap is less than US$10m (US$9.96m market cap). Minor Risks Currently unprofitable and not forecast to become profitable over next 3 years (US$23m net loss in 3 years). Share price has been volatile over the past 3 months (13% average weekly change). Announcement • Jul 08
Theriva Biologics Announces Regulatory Authorization to Proceed with Virage2 Phase 2A Clinical Trial to Evaluate More Frequent Dosing of Vcn-01 in First-Line Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Theriva Biologics announced that the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) has authorized the Company to initiate the VIRAGE2 clinical trial, entitled "A Phase IIa, single-arm, single-center, open-label, proof-of-concept trial evaluating increased frequency dosing of zabilugene almadenorepvec (VCN-01) in combination with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in patients with newly-diagnosed metastatic pancreatic cancer" (EUCT: 2026-525566-21-00). The VIRAGE2 trial builds on the results of the 112-patient VIRAGE Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating VCN-01 in treatment naive metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients receiving gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel standard-of-care (SoC) chemotherapy. In the VIRAGE trial, patients who received 2 doses of VCN-01 administered 3 months apart had significantly improved overall survival, progression free survival, and duration of response compared to patients treated with only one dose of VCN-01 or with SoC chemotherapy alone. Both the EMA and the FDA recognized the improved survival in the group treated with 2 doses of VCN-01, and raised the possibility of more frequent repeated dosing of VCN-01 in combination with SoC chemotherapy to potentially improve clinical outcomes. The VIRAGE2 trial is designed to evaluate the feasibility of administering at least 3 doses of VCN-01 given 2 months apart in combination with SoC chemotherapy. Results from this trial will inform the VCN-01 dosing regimen for potential evaluation in a future pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial. VIRAGE2 is a Phase 2a, single-arm, open-label, clinical trial in 6 evaluable patients with histologically confirmed, newly diagnosed metastatic PDAC enrolled at a single site in Spain. Patients are intended to receive at least three "macrocycles" of VCN-01 (zabilugene almadenorepvec) and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel standard-of-care (SoC) chemotherapy, followed by SoC gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel cycles until disease progression. In each VCN-01 macrocycle, intravenous VCN-01 is administered on day 1 followed by gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel SoC chemotherapy on days 8, 15, 22, 36, 43 and 50. Macrocycles are repeated on days 57 and 113. The primary objective of the VIRAGE2 trial is to evaluate whether administration of at least 3 doses of VCN-01, with 2 months between doses, is well tolerated by patients without adversely impacting VCN-01 pharmacodynamics. Primary endpoints for the trial are the adverse event profile and levels of VCN-01 viral genomes in blood. Secondary endpoints include objective response rate, duration of response, progression free survival, overall survival, and circulating levels of anti-VCN-01 neutralizing antibodies. Exploratory endpoints include estimates of potential VCN-01 shedding by measuring VCN-01 viral genomes in sputum and stool. The study is designed with 80% power to detect a difference in VCN-01 viral genome levels between the second and first VCN-01 doses with a 2-sided alpha of 0.05. The study is not formally powered for evaluation of clinical efficacy endpoints and is intended to support evaluation of the potential efficacy of the more frequent repeated dosing regimen in subsequent clinical trials (EUCT: 2026-525566-21-00). VCN-01 (zabilugene almadenorepvec) is a systemically administered oncolytic adenovirus designed to selectively and aggressively replicate within tumor cells and degrade the tumor stroma that serves as a significant physical and immunosuppressive barrier to cancer treatment. This unique mode-of-action enables VCN-01 to exert multiple antitumor effects by (i) selectively infecting and lysing tumor cells; (ii) enhancing the access and perfusion of co-administered chemotherapy products; and (iii) increasing tumor immunogenicity and exposing the tumor to the patient's immune system and co-administered immunotherapy products. Systemic administration enables VCN-01 to exert its actions on both the primary tumor and metastases. VCN-01 has been administered to 142 patients to date in Company- and investigator-sponsored clinical trials in different cancers, including PDAC (in combination with chemotherapy), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (with an immune checkpoint inhibitor), ovarian cancer (with CAR-T cell therapy), colorectal cancer, and retinoblastoma (by intravitreal injection). VCN-01 has also been made available for compassionate use in retinoblastoma patients, and 2 patients have been treated in this program. More information on VCN-01 clinical trials is available at Clinicaltrials.gov. 
