India, May 9 -- The Bombay high court on Wednesday issued a notice to the central drug regulator to respond to a petition filed by a Nashik-based cancer research company seeking permission to conduct phase 1 human trials of its cancer immunotherapy drug, Per-C-Vax.

A bench of chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice MS Karnik sought a response from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) after the petitioner, Datar Cancer Genetics Pvt Ltd, claimed that the regulator had arbitrarily rejected its application to conduct phase 1 human trials of its indigenous vaccine to treat solid organ cancers.

In its petition, the company said that it had submitted an application to CDSCO to conduct the trials under the New Drugs and Clinica...