Image by Joshua Stokes
NK cell destroys cancer cell
The European Commission has granted orphan designation to a natural killer (NK) cell product for the treatment of multiple myeloma.
The product, called CellProtect, is manufactured from a patient’s own blood.
It consists of NK cells that have been activated and expanded so they can recognize and attack cancer cells.
CellProtect has been studied in a phase 1/2 trial of patients with multiple myeloma.
In this trial, the NK cell product was used as a supplement to autologous stem cell transplant.
CellProtect exhibited a good safety profile and signals of effect in the trial, according to CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals AB, the company developing CellProtect.
Results from the trial are expected to be published in 2018.
“The decision from the commission is based on a recommendation from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products and confirms that a future product is considered to be of significant benefit to those suffering from multiple myeloma,” said Karin Mellström, chief executive officer of CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals AB.
“We can now proceed and plan for additional clinical trials in order to receive approval to market CellProtect.”
Orphan designation from the European Commission provides regulatory and financial incentives for companies to develop and market therapies that treat life-threatening or chronically debilitating conditions affecting no more than 5 in 10,000 people in the European Union, and where no satisfactory treatment is available.
Orphan designation provides a 10-year period of marketing exclusivity if a therapy receives regulatory approval.
The designation also provides incentives for companies seeking protocol assistance from the European Medicines Agency during the product development phase and direct access to the centralized authorization procedure.
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products adopts an opinion on the granting of orphan drug designation, and that opinion is submitted to the European Commission for a final decision.
