Oncothyreon Inc. (ONTY) said it and German drug maker Merck KGaA (MKGAY, MRK.XE) have resumed development of an experimental lung cancer vaccine after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration partially lifted a clinical hold on the treatment.
Oncothyreon shares jumped 20.5% premarket to $4.35. The stock was down 33% this year through Wednesday on the March suspension of the effort, caused after a patient who has multiple myeloma experienced encephalitis, or brain swelling.
The study involves Stimuvax, a would-be treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer and breast cancer. It is still under clinical hold for breast cancer applications.
The vaccine is intended to stimulate an immune response against cells with a protein called MUC1, which is found in lung, breast, prostate and colon cancers.
