Bioniche launches canine cancer product in NA

Bioniche Life Sciences (ASX:BNC) has launched its first canine cancer product, Immunocidin, in the US and Canadian markets.

The company is debuting the product at the annual Veterinary Cancer Society conference, which commenced yesterday in Las Vegas. Immunocidin is now on sale in the US, and will launch in Canada shortly.

Immunocidin is being marketed as a treatment for mixed mammary tumour and mammary adenocarcinoma in dogs.

The company is positioning the product as an alternative to costly and side effect prone chemotherapy option. Unlike chemotherapy, Immunocidin does not require special handling to administer.

Bioniche Animal Health president Andrew Grant said the company believes there to be “a tremendous opportunity for a product... that does not require special handling and can be used by veterinarians in their own clinics, either alone or in combination with other therapies.”

He said a company-sponsored survey of US veterinarians shows that mammary carcinoma was the third most treated canine cancer over the last 12 months.

Immunocidin is based on Bioniche's mycobacterial cell wall technology, which also forms the basis of Urocidin, its prospective human bladder cancer treatment currently at the phase III trial stage.

Bioniche received regulatory approval in July to market Immunocidin in North America. The company is also developing a second canine cancer product, Oncocidin, which will be an IV therapy based on the same technology.

Besides treating tumours, potential applications for the IV therapy include restoring white blood cells in dogs following chemotherapy.

Bioniche is a Canada-headquartered human and animal health company, dual-listed on the ASX. Its Australian operations are concentrated on the animal health side of the business.

The company has been pulling out the stops to expand its animal health business lately, launching several new products, securing distribution rights to several more and starting development of what could be the world's first synthetic FSH bovine fertility product.

Bioniche (ASX:BNC) shares were trading unchanged at48c as of 2:30pm on Friday.