Enhanced Bladder Cancer Vaccine Ships 1,000 Doses

According to a post on X by @DrPatSoonShiong, the initial 1,000 doses of ANKTIVA® (N-803) shipped on May 1, 2024.

On April 22, 2024, ImmunityBio Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved ANKTIVA plus BCG vaccine therapy for treating certain patients with BCG-unresponsive bladder cancer.

The company says Anktiva is the backbone of ImmunityBio's Quantum Oncotherapeutics immunotherapy-based vaccine approach for treating multiple tumor types.

"We hypothesized that activation and proliferation of natural killer cells through IL-15 stimulation could rescue T cells after checkpoint failure, regardless of tumor type or location. As with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, we believe that ANKTIVA enhanced the NK and T cell activity critical for targeting and killing cancer cells which have entered the phase of tumor evasion and resistance," said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., Executive Chairman and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at ImmunityBio, in a press release on April 25, 2024.

In 2024, Anktiva is expected to cost $35,800 per dose. ImmunityBio's Patient Assistance Program is expected to ensure access to ImmunityBio's innovative cancer treatment for those in financial support.