Study of the Trifunctional Antibody Catumaxomab to Treat Recurrent Symptomatic Malignant Ascites

A multi-center, phase II study of catumaxomab in ovarian cancer patients with recurrent symptomatic malignant ascites requiring therapeutic paracentesis. Each eligible patient will receive four ascending doses of catumaxomab, administered intraperitoneally via an indwelling catheter. Catumaxomab will be administered as a 3-hour constant rate infusion with a dosing interval of 3-4 days. Each patient will participate in this study for up to 7 months (includes the baseline therapeutic paracentesis and screening period, 11 to 21 days treatment period, and up to 180 days/6 months follow-up), with monthly post-study follow-up for the lifetime of the patient. Catumaxomab is a trifunctional antibody targeting EpCAM on tumor cells and CD3 on T cells. Trifunctional antibodies represent a new concept for targeted anticancer therapy. This new antibody class has the capability to redirect T cells and accessory cells (e.g. macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs) and natural killer (NK) cells) to the tumor site. According to preclinical data, trifunctional antibodies activate these different immune effector cells, which can trigger a complex anti-tumor immune response.