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Monday, May 21, 2012

Industry-sponsored cardiovascular cell therapies. Some metrics.





Cell therapies for cardiovascular-related conditions is a closely watched, much studied, oft-discussed, and hotly contested segment of the cell therapy industry.


The data to-date are admittedly confusing.  From a clinical perspective, the studies for which we have data have been relatively small involving a mish-mash of indications, endpoints, eligibility criterion, methods and/or route of administration, as well as the time of administration relative to event or disease progression.


Further compounding any interpretation of the data, from a technical perspective, is the fact the products have been widely varied in terms of being autologous vs allogeneic, expanded and not, genetically modified and not, from a plethora of different sources, and utilizing a wide variety of cell types from skelatal myoblasts, cardiomyocytes, mesenchymal stromal cells, mononuclear cells, etc. 


All this makes it extremely difficult to draw any conclusions with respect to what's working and what's not.  We will not attempt to do so.


All we do below is attempt to give a snapshot of the industry-sponsored cell therapy trials currently ongoing for cardiovascular-related conditions.  So here it is:


Commercial:
Pharmicell's Heartcelligram is the only cell therapy to have received regulatory approval for commercial distribution for the treatment of a cardiac-related indication.  Heartcelligram is an autologous cell therapy approved in 2011 by the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) for the treatment of Acute Mycardial Infarction (AMI).  The price is reportedly $19,000 and the trial data behind the approval has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.


Phase III or II/III:
There are currently only 3 active and recruiting cardiac-related, industry-sponsored cell therapy trials.  Interestingly they all involve autologous products, two involve devices, two involve centralized manufacturing, two involve bone marrow cells as a source, two are only in European clinical sites, and two are targeting ischemic-related conditions.
  • Baxter Therapeutics' Auto-CD34+ cells
  • Cytori
  • Miltenyi Biotec
Two companies warrant particular mention at this stage as they appear to be in transition between phases II and III.

Cardio3 Biosciences initially designed a trial of their autologous C-Cure in heart failure secondary to ischemic cardiomyopathy to be a phase II/III trial enrolling 240 patients.  While the trial began in late 2008 and is still registered as active but no longer recruiting on ClinicalTrials.gov the entry has not been updated for almost a year.  

In 2010 the company announced that after enrolling 45 patients - of which 21 were in the treatment arm (24 in the control arm) - they decided to close the study to future enrollment and prepare for a phase III trial.  This decision was reportedly based on "very encouraging data". 

Dr. Christian Homsy, CEO of Cardio3 BioSciences provided the following guidance: “The highly promising data we report today build on the favourable safety profile we have observed through this Phase II trial and documents in patients our belief that we have with  C-Cure a product candidate with the potential to make a real difference in the treatment of heart failure... As noted in the company’s press release of 29 June 2010, with the Phase II stage completed and to allow for potential modifications to the trial protocol, Cardio3 BioSciences has not proceeded to Phase III recruitment into the trial but has continued to gather all data for the six month analysis. Through the Phase II trial, we gained significant  experience in working with a highly innovative stem cell therapy in a clinical setting, and we are using this acquired knowledge in the design of our planned Phase III programme."  The phase III trial of C-Cure is expected to commence in the second half of 2012.

Mesoblast has also announced with its strategic partner, Teva, that they are proceeding with plans to conduct a phase III study of its allogeneic cell therapy product, Revascor, in chronic heart failure.  Most anticipate this clinical trial application to be filed sometime in late 2012.


Phase I or II:
There are over 20 active, industry-sponsored earlier-stage trials (phase I, I/II or II) for cardiovascular-related conditions.  At least 5 of these are expected to have clinical readouts this year.   



Hope this is useful.

--

This post has been brought to you by your friends at CTG.  All cell therapy. All the time. :)  

-- Lee @celltherapy

p.s.  As always we welcome your feedback, comments, and corrections.  

Friday, May 18, 2012

Cell-based Cancer Immunotherapies. Some metrics..

 

Whatever one makes of Dendreon's challenges in bringing Provenge to market and then its ups and downs in the market, the whole affair has brought a much bigger spotlight to cancer immunotherapies and cell-based immunotherapies in particular.

This is true on all fronts.  Cancer immunotherapy conferences are popping up everywhere.  A growing number of of analysts are now covering a growing number of companies in the space with coverage ranging from bearishly critical to ebullient bullishness. Some venture capital firms are now loosening their purse strings for immunotherapy plays and both pharma venture funds and business development departments are now spending an increasing amount of time actively monitoring and exploring potential plays in the sector.


One of the best annual industry summaries of what is happening in the sector is sponsored by MD Becker Partners through its annual Cancer Immunotherapy: A Long Awaited Reality conference held each in New York, this year on October 4 and select video replays it hosts on its YouTube channel.

Some Segment Metrics

As part of our ongoing industry intelligence and consulting services we actively track the activity and progress of industry-sponsored clinical trials of all cell therapies in addition to the products already on the market.  Here's how our data stacks up regarding the cell-based immunotherapies segment of the sector:

Commercial:
  • Dendreon's Provenge
    • Autologous immunotherapy for prostate cancer (1 monthly dose for 3 months)
    • Efficacy: prolongs survival
    • Markets: only the United States (approved April 2010)
    • Next markets: submitted the marketing authorisation application to the EMA (European Medicines Agency) in early 2012 and hopes to introduce Provenge in the European market in 2013
    • 2011 Revenue $290M
    • Projected 2012 Revenue: ~$380M
Phase III or II/III:
  • Cell Medica's Adoptive Cellular Therapy (ACT) 
    • phase III trial actively recruiting
      • Indication: cytomegalovirus infection following allogeneic stem cell transplantion
      • Estimated enrollment: 90
      • Estimated primary completion: June 2013
Phase II or I/II
  • 50 industry-sponsored clinical trials of cell-based immunotherapies actively recruiting, active no longer recruiting, active not yet recruiting, or anticipated to commence yet in 2012
    • ~10 of these are expected to have readouts yet this year
    • Trial sites in US, Canada, UK, continental Europe, Israel, South Korea, India, Australia
    • Expected enrollment of 3,500+
Investment:

The following are notable cash infusions into the sector for 2012 to-date:
  • Bellicum Pharmaceuticals.  $20M series B. 
  • CellMedica. $15M grant from CPRIT in Texas.
  • Argos Therapeutcs. $25M Series D.
  • Northwest Bio.  $5.5M grant from German gov't Saxony Development Bank

Hope this is useful.

--

This post has been brought to you by your friends at CTG.  All cell therapy. All the time. :)  

-- Lee @celltherapy

p.s.  As always we welcome your feedback, comments, and corrections.