Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced it will present new clinical data on VP-315, its investigational oncolytic peptide therapy for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 40th Annual Meeting taking place November 5-9, 2025, in National Harbor, Maryland. The presentation will focus on immune activation data from the company's Phase 2 multicenter trial.
Clinical Data Presentation Details
The company will deliver both an oral presentation and poster presentation titled "Exploratory analysis of a phase 2 multicenter study evaluating local immune activation in the tumor microenvironment 12 weeks post VP-315, an investigational therapy for basal cell carcinoma (BCC)." The oral presentation will be delivered by Kenneth Y. Tsai, MD, PhD, Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Pathology and Co-Director of the Donald A. Adam Melanoma and Skin Cancer Center of Excellence at Moffitt Cancer Center.
The oral presentation is scheduled for November 5-9, 2025, during Concurrent Session 205b: Rapid Oral Abstract Session - Clinical, from 12:15-1:15 p.m. ET at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. Dr. Tsai's specific presentation time is 12:46-12:54 p.m.
VP-315 Mechanism and Development
VP-315 represents a potential first-in-class oncolytic chemotherapeutic peptide immunotherapy administered directly into tumors to induce immunogenic cell death. The therapy works by unleashing a broad spectrum of tumor antigens for T cell responses, which may offer a non-surgical treatment option for patients with skin cancer.
The technology is based on pioneering research in "host defense peptides" – nature's first line of defense against foreign pathogens. VP-315 has demonstrated positive tumor-specific immune cell responses in multi-indication Phase 1/2 oncology trials.
Licensing and Development Strategy
Verrica holds an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize VP-315 for certain dermatologic oncology indications, including non-metastatic melanoma and non-metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. The company intends to focus initially on basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas as the lead indications for development.
The licensing agreement was established with Lytix Biopharma AS for VP-315 (formerly LTX-315 and VP-LTX-315) specifically for non-melanoma skin cancers including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
Company Background
Verrica Pharmaceuticals is a dermatology therapeutics company developing medications for skin diseases requiring medical interventions. The company's marketed product YCANTH® (VP-102) (cantharidin) is the first and only healthcare professional-administered treatment approved by the FDA to treat adult and pediatric patients two years of age and older with molluscum contagiosum, a highly contagious viral skin infection affecting approximately 6 million people in the United States, primarily children.
YCANTH (VP-102) is also in development to treat common warts, which the company describes as the largest remaining unmet need in medical dermatology.
The abstract for the VP-315 presentation will be available on the SITC website on or about November 4, 2025, at 9 a.m. ET.
