IDM begins second phase of clinical trials for melanoma vaccine

San Diego-IDM Pharma, based here, has begun phase 2 clinical trials in Europe for its melanoma vaccine Uvidem, which IDM is developing in collaboration with Paris-based pharmaceutical firm Sanofi-Aventis.

The trial will recruit 50 melanoma patients, 25 of whom will receive Uvidem alone while the remaining 25 will receive Uvidem combined with peginterferon alpha-2b, which has been approved in Europe for the treatment of hepatitis C and is currently under development by Schering-Plough for the treatment of melanoma.

IDM says the primary goal of the trial is to evaluate a specific immune response to the vaccine after treatment with Uvidem, with or without peginterferon alpha-2b. Secondary objectives are safety and disease-free survival.

Plans call for the Europeantrials to be conducted in centers in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. A separate phase 2 trial of Uvidem already is under way in the United States, following positive clinical results in the first stage.