ROCKVILLE, Md. and BARCELONA, Spain — Theriva™ Biologics (NYSE American: TOVX), (“Theriva” or the “Company”), a diversified clinical-stage company developing therapeutics designed to treat cancer and related diseases in areas of high unmet need, today announced an invited presentation of clinical outcomes and safety data from the investigator sponsored Phase 1 clinical study (NCT03284268) evaluating the safety and tolerability of two intravitreal injections of VCN-01 (zabilugene almadenorepvec) in pediatric patients with intraocular retinoblastoma that was refractory to systemic, intra-arterial, or intravitreal chemotherapy, and for whom enucleation was the only recommended treatment. Preclinical data describing the synergistic antitumor effects observed when topotecan (a standard of care chemotherapy for retinoblastoma) is coadministered with VCN-01 will also be presented. These data will be presented during a retinoblastoma focused session at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Congress (held in conjunction with the 37th Annual Scientific Meeting Hong Kong Ophthalmological Symposium) taking place in Hong Kong, China, 5-8 February 2026.
Details of the presentation can be found online and below.
- Presenting Author: Dr. Jaume Català-Mora, Pediatric Ophthalmologist, Sant Joan de Déu-Barcelona Children’s Hospital
- Title: Update on Oncolytic Adenovirus VCN-01 Trial in Retinoblastoma
- Session: 0211 Retinoblastoma in Association With Asian Retinoblastoma Group
- Date & Time: Saturday 07 February, 2026, at 4:46 PM HKT (3:46 AM US EDT)
- Location: Rooms S224-225, Level 2, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC)
“We are very pleased with the on-going international interest in the novel clinical and preclinical findings by our collaborators treating retinoblastoma patients at Sant Joan de Déu-Barcelona Children’s Hospital,” said Steven A. Shallcross, Chief Executive Officer of Theriva Biologics. “Effective treatment of refractory retinoblastoma with vitreous seeds remains a significant unmet medical need for pediatric patients with this condition worldwide. Based on our previously reported Phase 1 clinical data, and the emerging preclinical findings, we believe that the intravitreal combination of VCN-01 and topotecan provides an exciting new opportunity to address this challenge and help preserve the eyes and quality-of-life of children with this rare but devastating cancer. VCN-01 has Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations for the treatment of retinoblastoma, and we are currently refining a potential pivotal clinical trial design in this indication for discussion with regulatory agencies.”
About VCN-01
VCN-01 (zabilugene almadenorepvec) is a systemically administered oncolytic adenovirus designed to selectively and aggressively replicate within tumor cells and degrade the tumor stroma that serves as a significant physical and immunosuppressive barrier to cancer treatment. This unique mode-of-action enables VCN-01 to exert multiple antitumor effects by (i) selectively infecting and lysing tumor cells; (ii) enhancing the access and perfusion of co-administered chemotherapy products; and (iii) increasing tumor immunogenicity and exposing the tumor to the patient’s immune system and co-administered immunotherapy products. Systemic administration enables VCN-01 to exert its actions on both the primary tumor and metastases. VCN-01 has been administered to over 140 patients to date in clinical trials of different cancers, including PDAC (in combination with chemotherapy), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (with an immune checkpoint inhibitor), ovarian cancer (with CAR-T cell therapy), colorectal cancer, and retinoblastoma (by intravitreal injection). More information on these clinical trials is available at Clinicaltrials.gov. VCN-01 has Orphan Drug designation from the EMA and both Orphan Drug designation and Fast Track designation from the FDA for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. VCN-01 also has Orphan Drug designation and Rare Pediatric Diseases designation from the FDA for the treatment of retinoblastoma.
About Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is a tumor that originates in the retina and is the most common type of eye cancer in children. It occurs in approximately 1/14,000 – 1/18,000 live newborns and accounts for 15% of the tumors in the pediatric population < 1 year old. The average age of pediatric patients at diagnosis is 2, and it rarely occurs in children older than 6. In Europe, retinoblastoma has an estimated incidence rate of 1 per 13,844 live births (14.1 per million children under the age of 5) with approximately 300 children diagnosed per year (Stacey et al. 2021). Preserving life and preventing the loss of an eye, blindness, and other serious effects of treatment that reduce the patient’s life span or the quality of life remains a challenge. In addition, children with retinoblastoma have been more likely to lose their eye and die of metastatic disease in low-resource countries.
About Theriva™ Biologics, Inc.
Theriva™ Biologics (NYSE American: TOVX), is a diversified clinical-stage company developing therapeutics designed to treat cancer and related diseases in areas of high unmet need. The Company’s subsidiary Theriva Biologics, S.L. , has been developing a new oncolytic adenovirus platform designed for intravenous (IV), intravitreal and antitumoral delivery to trigger tumor cell death, improve access of co-administered cancer therapies to the tumor, and promote a robust and sustained anti-tumor response by the patient’s immune system. The Company’s lead clinical-stage candidates are: (1) VCN-01 (zabilugene almadenorepvec), an oncolytic adenovirus designed to replicate selectively and aggressively within tumor cells, and to degrade the tumor stroma barrier that serves as a significant physical and immunosuppressive barrier to cancer treatment; (2) SYN-004 (ribaxamase) which is designed to degrade certain commonly used IV beta-lactam antibiotics within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to prevent microbiome damage, thereby limiting overgrowth of pathogenic organisms such as VRE (vancomycin resistant Enterococci) and reducing the incidence and severity of acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD) in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients); and (3) SYN-020, a recombinant oral formulation of the enzyme intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) produced under cGMP conditions and intended to treat both local GI and systemic diseases. For more information, please visit Theriva Biologics’ website at www.therivabio.com.
For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations:
Kevin Gardner
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
[email protected]