Athersys Reports on Progress in Phase 2 Study of MultiStem for Ischemic Stroke
Cell Therapy Safe and Study Proceeding at High Dose
CLEVELAND, Oct. 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Athersys, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHX) recently completed enrollment of the first patient cohorts of its Phase 2 study of MultiStem(R), a novel adult stem cell therapy being developed by Athersys, administered to patients within approximately 1 to 2 days after they have experienced an ischemic stroke. The independent safety committee reviewed data from these patients, finding that both of the doses evaluated were safe and well tolerated, and therefore, recommended proceeding with high dose administration to patients for the remainder of the trial.
The Phase 2 study is a double blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of MultiStem when administered to patients who have suffered a moderate to moderately severe stroke, as defined by a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 8 to 20. Patients enrolled in the study receive a single intravenous dose of MultiStem therapy or placebo in the 24 to 36 hours following the stroke, which is a significant extension of the current treatment window over existing standard of care. The study is currently being conducted at multiple centers throughout the United States.
"We are very excited about the initial results from this program
and believe that it could represent a major advance in clinical
care for ischemic stroke patients. We believe MultiStem has the
potential to significantly enhance patient recovery, as well as
meaningfully extend the treatment window over the current standard
of care for stroke victims, enabling many more patients to receive
treatment," said Dr.
Gil Van Bokkelen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Athersys.
"We are pleased with the results from the initial phase of the
study, including the additional evidence of a consistent safety
profile for MultiStem, and we intend to move the program forward
aggressively to completion."
The first part of the Phase 2 study included two cohorts, with
each cohort including a placebo group and a treatment group -- a
low dose of MultiStem in the first cohort and a higher dose in the
second cohort.
The third cohort has a placebo group and treatment group,
randomized 1 to 1. The study is expected to enroll approximately
136 patients in total.
Primary safety endpoints for the trial include measuring acute infusional reactions over the first 7 days following treatment. Primary efficacy measures include determining the proportion of patients with a modified Rankin Scale of 0 to 2 (which represents patients capable of independent living) at day 90 in the MultiStem treatment group compared to subjects in the placebo treatment group. Secondary endpoints include functional outcome as determined by NIHSS score and Barthel Index. The study includes additional exploratory endpoints, such as measuring stroke infarct size and blood marker changes between the MultiStem and placebo treatment groups.
"We believe that development of a safe and effective therapy for
ischemic stroke represents both a major clinical and commercial
opportunity, and one that could drive value for our
shareholders,"
added Dr. Van Bokkelen. "We believe that this Phase 2 study will
provide compelling evidence of the potential of the program."
About Stroke
According to the American Heart Association, approximately 800,000 individuals suffer a stroke each year in the United States, and an estimated 2 million individuals suffer a stroke each year in the United States, Japan and major European countries, combined. Given the current lack of effective therapies, many patients who suffer a stroke experience long term disability and require extensive physical therapy or experience significant or permanent disability, and as a result, must receive long-term institutional care or be cared for by a family member.
Approximately 85% of strokes are ischemic, meaning they are
caused by a blockage of blood flow in the brain, which occurs as a
result of a clot or "thrombus." Currently, there is only one
FDA-approved drug therapy for the treatment of ischemic stroke, the
thrombolytic tPA, which helps to dissolve the blood clot that
impedes blood flow in the brain.
However, tPA must be administered within three to four hours from
when the stroke has occurred in order to be effective. Due to its
limited window, only a small percentage of all patients who could
potentially benefit from therapy with tPA actually receive
treatment.
As a consequence of an aging population, recent forecasts from
the American Heart Association project that the prevalence of
stroke will increase by 25% in the next twenty years, and the total
estimated annual cost for treating and caring for stroke survivors
in the United States will skyrocket from $64 billion in 2010 to
$140 billion in 2030, representing a substantial increase in costs
to the healthcare system.
The company believes that the market for a safe and effective
therapy for stroke that could be administered within a clinically
reasonable time frame could represent a $15 to 20 billion annual
market opportunity.
About MultiStem
MultiStem(R) cell therapy is a patented product that has shown the ability to promote tissue repair and healing in a variety of ways, such as through the production of multiple therapeutic factors produced in response to signals of inflammation and tissue damage. MultiStem has demonstrated therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammatory and immune disorders, neurological conditions, and cardiovascular disease, as well as other areas, and represents a unique "off-the-shelf" stem cell product that can be manufactured in a scalable manner, may be stored for years in frozen form, and is administered without tissue matching or the need for immune suppression. The product is extensively characterized for safety, consistency and potency. Athersys has forged strategic partnerships with Pfizer Inc. to develop MultiStem for inflammatory bowel disease and with RTI Biologics, Inc. to develop cell therapy for use with a bone allograft product in the orthopedic market.
About Athersys
Athersys is a clinical stage biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of therapeutic product candidates designed to extend and enhance the quality of human life. The Company is developing its MultiStem(R) cell therapy product, a patented, adult-derived "off-the-shelf" stem cell product platform for disease indications in the cardiovascular, neurological, inflammatory and immune disease areas. The Company currently has several clinical stage programs involving MultiStem, including for treating inflammatory bowel disease, ischemic stroke, damage caused by myocardial infarction, and for the prevention of graft versus host disease. Athersys has also developed a diverse portfolio that includes other technologies and product development opportunities, and has forged strategic partnerships and collaborations with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as world-renowned research institutions in the United States and Europe to further develop its platform and products. More information is available at www.athersys.com.
The Athersys, Inc. logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4548
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking
statements relate to, among other things, the expected timetable
for development of our product candidates, our growth strategy, and
our future financial performance, including our operations,
economic performance, financial condition, prospects, and other
future events. We have attempted to identify forward-looking
statements by using such words as "anticipates," "believes," "can,"
"continue," "could," "estimates,"
"expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "potential," "should,"
"suggest,"
"will," or other similar expressions. These forward-looking
statements are only predictions and are largely based on our
current expectations.
A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other
factors could affect the accuracy of these statements. Some of the
more significant known risks that we face that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those implied by forward-looking
statements are the risks and uncertainties inherent in the process
of discovering, developing, and commercializing products that are
safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, such as the
uncertainty regarding market acceptance of our product candidates
and our ability to generate revenues, including MultiStem for the
treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, acute myocardial
infarction, stroke and other disease indications, including
lysosomal storage disorders, and the prevention of
graft-versus-host disease. These risks may cause our actual
results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to differ
materially from any future results, levels of activity,
performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these
forward-looking statements.
Other important factors to consider in evaluating our
forward-looking statements include: our ability to raise additional
capital; final results from our MultiStem clinical trials,
including for ischemic stroke; the possibility of delays in,
adverse results of, and excessive costs of the development process;
our ability to successfully initiate and complete clinical trials;
changes in external market factors; changes in our industry's
overall performance; changes in our business strategy; our ability
to protect our intellectual property portfolio; our possible
inability to realize commercially valuable discoveries in our
collaborations with pharmaceutical and other biotechnology
companies; our ability to meet milestones under our collaboration
agreements; our collaborators' ability to continue to fulfill their
obligations under the terms of our collaboration agreements; our
possible inability to execute our strategy due to changes in our
industry or the economy generally; changes in productivity and
reliability of suppliers; and the success of our competitors and
the emergence of new competitors. You should not place undue
reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this press
release, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
CONTACT: William (B.J.) Lehmann, J.D.
President and Chief Operating Officer
Tel: (216) 431-9900
bjlehmann@athersys.com
Investor Relations:
Lisa M. Wilson
In-Site Communications
Tel: (917) 543-9932
lwilson@insitecony.com
Posted: October 2012
