VS Pharmtech Wins FDA Phase 2 Nod for Cancer Enhancer VS-101
SEOUL – November 06, 2026 -- VS Pharmtech reported complete remission in all seven patients in a Phase 1 trial of VS-101, a radiosensitizer for head and neck cancer, with no dose-limiting toxicities or serious adverse events. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has since approved the company's Phase 2 plans for head and neck cancer, breast cancer and glioblastoma.
VS-101 repurposes a 20-year-old drug at one-fifth of the original dose
VS-101 makes tumors more responsive to radiation. It weakens RAD51, a protein central to cancer cells' repair of radiation-induced DNA damage, which pushes the cells toward death. The drug has been in use for more than 20 years, and VS Pharmtech is developing it through drug repositioning. The company aims to give patients about 20% of the original dose. CEO Park Shin-young said the drug itself does not cause DNA damage or toxicity.