Nikkei News Agency reported that commercial sales of the world's first oncolytic viral drug, specifically approved for the treatment of esophageal cancer, have begun in Japan.
The tumor-lysing virus primarily infects and destroys cancer cells.
It should be noted that genetically modified viruses are considered a promising cancer treatment. The drug has already been commercially launched in Japan.
According to reports, this drug was developed by Onculis Biopharma, a Tokyo-based company. The company faced a complex regulatory hurdle in Japan to bring the drug to market, as large-scale production of such viruses requires strict quality control. The drug's testing protocol is unique; the therapeutic effect may take several weeks to appear, depending on the extent of viral spread within the tumor.
This drug uses modified viruses designed to precisely infect and destroy cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue intact. The oncolytic viruses replicate inside the cancer cells, destroying them from within, and simultaneously stimulating the body's immune response.
