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"We're excited about the science behind it, but we're also excited for our patients that if they can have access to this, maybe we can delay or completely avoid radical cystectomy or further aggressive treatments," says Shreyas S. Joshi, MD, MPH.
In this video, Shreyas S. Joshi, MD, MPH, highlights the background for the ongoing phase 2 LEGEND trial (NCT04752722) of detalimogene voraplasmid (EG-70) for patients with high-risk non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Joshi is an assistant professor of urology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.
Video Transcript:
This is one of the important trials that we have going on for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, so those bladder cancers that are somewhat superficial and haven't penetrated into the muscle layer of the bladder. This is a really important space, because if we can identify the right patients and treat them appropriately, we can spare bladders rather than having to take them out. Obviously, everyone wants to keep their bladder, and if we can do that safely, that's really key for patient outcomes.
We have historically relied on things like BCG, which is the inactivated tuberculosis bacteria, to give most of our treatment for non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer. While that works, there are a lot of patients in whom it doesn't work, or patients who can't tolerate it. We have other treatment options available for them, but none have been blockbusters, so we are constantly in the look for better treatment options. This is one of those new treatment options that we're really excited about. This falls under the category of gene therapies in the bladder. There are a couple other drugs that are already in production as well regarding intravesical gene therapy. This enGene trial, it's a particle called EG-70, is really important in that it delivers the genetic material into the bladder cells, not through a virus-based particle, but through a nanoparticle that could be beneficial to some patients who can't receive adenoviral-based therapies. We're very excited to see how patients respond in the BCG-unresponsive space.
We've been able to accrue some of the some of the highest numbers in the country. Our patients have been tolerating it quite well. We're excited about the science behind it, but we're also excited for our patients that if they can have access to this, maybe we can delay or completely avoid radical cystectomy or further aggressive treatments. That's just 1 of the trials that we have going on in that 1 space. Because we have a good relationship and accrue a lot of patients, we are able to partner with that industry sponsor to help design and build and start up other trials for other spaces for high-risk bladder cancer patients. We're going to be, hopefully, at the forefront of a lot of the trials coming forward for not only that company, but for others as well.
This transcript was AI generated and edited by human editors for clarity.