Photocure partner Asieris announces publication of Cevira study protocol on BMJ Open
On June 9, 2022, Asieris Pharmaceuticals, a global biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of innovative drugs for the treatment of genitourinary tumors and other major diseases, announced the publication in BMJ Open of the APRICITY study protocol. APRICITY is a multicentre, prospective, double-blind, randomised controlled Phase III study further evaluating the efficacy and safety of the integrated drug-and light-delivery device Cevira® in the treatment of high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL).
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide.(1) In 2020, 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths worldwide were attributed to cervical cancer.(1,2) Current treatments of HSIL of the cervix are based on invasive surgical interventions, compromising cervical competence and functionality.
As a novel, non-invasive outpatient therapy, Cevira® holds the potential to serve the high unmet medical need for non-surgical, safe treatment options for patients with HSIL, especially for young women of reproductive age.
The National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved the clinical trial application in July 2020, and the world’s first patient was dosed in November of the same year.
Read Asieris’ full press release here
- Cervical cancer. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/cervical-cancer
- Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, Laversanne M, Soerjomataram I, Jemal A, et al. Global cancer statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2021;71(3):209-49
About Cevira®:
Cevira is a breakthrough photodynamic drug-device combination product that is being developed for non-surgical treatment of high-grade precancerous lesions of the cervix. Cevira holds the potential to serve the high unmet medical need for non-invasive treatment options for patients with HSIL in an outpatient setting, especially for young women of reproductive age. Asieris Pharmaceuticals entered into a license agreement with Photocure ASA (Photocure, PHO: OSE) to obtain the worldwide development and commercialization of Cevira in July 2019. Cevira is a registered trademark of Photocure ASA, based in Oslo, Norway.
