MONTREAL, June 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ExCellThera Inc. (ExCellThera), a world leader in enhanced blood stem cell expansion and therapies, announced today that the Market Authorisation Application (MAA) for UM171 Cell Therapy (INN-dorocubicel) has been accepted under an accelerated assessment procedure by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), for adult patients with hematological malignancies requiring a stem cell transplant who lack a readily available suitable donor.
The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) granted UM171 Cell Therapy accelerated assessment as it was deemed of major interest from a public health point of view. Accelerated assessment aims to reduce the timeframe for the CHMP to review a MAA compared to the standard procedure and follows the EMA granting Orphan Medicinal Product designation and access to the Priority Medicines scheme (PRIME) in 2020.
“We are excited that the EMA has accepted this regulatory submission under an accelerated assessment procedure, as UM171 Cell Therapy has immense potential to help address a high unmet medical need for patients with hematological malignancies who require a stem cell transplant but lack a readily available suitable donor,” said David Millette, CEO of ExCellThera. “We now look forward to working closely with the EMA in the coming months to bring this therapy to the patients who need it.”
About UM171 Cell Therapy
UM171 Cell Therapy (INN-dorocubicel), developed by Cordex Biologics, a wholly owned subsidiary of ExCellThera, has been evaluated in 120 patients to treat hematologic malignancies in clinical trials in the United States, Europe and Canada. UM171 Cell Therapy has received orphan drug designation and regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) designations from the FDA as well as orphan medicinal product designation, advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) classification and priority medicines (PRIME) designation from the EMA.
UM171 Cell Therapy has successfully completed Phase 2 trials in patients with high and very high-risk acute leukemias and myelodysplasias who have limited treatment options with low survival outcomes and high incidence of relapse under the current standard of care, including patients with refractory or active disease, patients requiring a second transplant, and patients with TP53 mutations or other genetic abnormalities. The initiation of a Phase 3 trial in this patient population is planned for the second half of 2024.
The use of UM171 Cell Therapy in other patient populations, including patients with multiple myeloma, pediatric patients, and patients with non-malignant hematological diseases, is also being explored.
UM171 Cell Therapy is an investigational cell therapy, and its safety and efficacy have not been established by the FDA, EMA, Health Canada or any other health authority.
About ExCellThera and UM171 Technology
ExCellThera is a world leader in enhanced blood stem cell expansion. ExCellThera’s proprietary EnhanceTM platform for cell expansion and metabolic fitness is designed to deliver a greater dose of functional therapeutic stem cells by expanding HSCs from any source and counteracting the effects of culture or gene editing induced stress. ExCellThera partners with biopharmas to help them develop best-in-class cell and gene therapies by leveraging the technologies that form the EnhanceTM platform, including the proprietary molecule UM171 which has a first- and best-in-class mechanism of action for ex vivo expansion and metabolic fitness of HSCs. For additional information, visit excellthera.com, and follow us on LinkedIn.
