A been crucial for Cellectis. The French biotech, specialist of the engineering of the genome, has started a second clinical trial phase I. It has announced that it has treated its first patient (out of 72 planned) leukemia with plasmacytoid dendritic cells, a blood cancer, on Friday, August 18. This disease can be treated by chemotherapy, yet relapse rates are very important. Cellectis hopes to achieve complete remissions with treatment UCART123. The biotech uses the method BECAUSE the T. It is to modify T lymphocytes (the immune system) of a patient in vitro and then reinjecting it into the body of the patient, to help them to recognize the antigen CD123 from a tumour to attack it.
Cellectis had started the first clinical trial of its story on a human being at the end of June. The biotech had treated his first patient in phase I reached acute myeloid leukemia with a similar method. In total, the company expects to process 156.
Behind the competitors
The announcement of the second clinical trial launched by the French biotech has satisfied the investors (the “action” was taking close to 3% towards 15 hours on the Paris stock Exchange to more than € 19). The title is twitching since a few weeks. It was over 24 euros a month earlier.
Investors concerned about the competition ? It must be said that Novartis and Kite Pharma, which exploit also the method of AS-T, find themselves at the gates of the market american. A panel of ten experts of the american Agency of medicines has unanimously recommended the approval of the CTL019 treatment in the laboratory in switzerland against lymphoblastic leukemia, who may get a green light concrete on 3 October. The side of Kite Pharma, the Zuma-1 against the aggressive lymphomas Hodgkin’s disease could enter the u.s. market at the end of November.
But the French company is distinguished by the therapeutic indications proposed, and its delay is therefore relative. For acute myeloid leukemia, there are a dozen clinical trials underway or about to start, all in phase I, so no more advanced than that of Cellectis. The biotech does almost no competition the indication against leukemia with plasmacytoid dendritic cells . It will, however, wait plusiuers years to hope to see a treatment of Cellectis on the market. The biotech expects to complete its two phase I studies in 2021 and 2022, and may be required to conduct a phase II trial, before receiving the green light from the health authorities.
What are the potential revenues for Cellectis ?
The method of CAR-T represents a great hope for patients in whom no further therapeutic options. Cellectis was also announced that they have cured a child of leukemia lymphoblastic acute, in the context of a proof-of-concept, at the end of 2015. The therapeutic strategy also promises significant financial returns. Analysts of One of Citigroup referred to a $ 500,000 per patient. The boss of Juno évoquaitun cost that would vary between 500.000 and 750.000 dollars.
For Cellectis, the potential is significant. Many patients find themselves in an impasse therapeutic in acute myeloid leukemia. It affects more than 20,000 new patients each year just in the United States, the country setting the higher price for the cancer, and from afar. And the survival rate of the patients is 27%, five years after being diagnosed. The number of people affected by a leukemia plasmacytoid dendritic cell is much more reduced, and there are no precise statistics on the number of existing cases.
