Patient Services

Smallpox vaccine extends life in cancer trial

(Reuters) - A genetically engineered smallpox vaccine reduced the risk of death for patients with advanced liver cancer by nearly 60 percent in a mid-stage study, prompting the launch of a later-stage trial.

Scientists at institutions including the University of California, San Diego, and privately held biotech company Jennerex Inc presented Phase 2 trial data on Saturday showing that patients given high doses of the altered vaccine, known as JX-594, lived for a median of 13.8 months compared with 6.7 months for patients treated with one-tenth of that dose.