Clinical Hold Lifted on U.S. Studies of BPX-501
On April 11, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the clinical hold on studies of BPX-501 in the U.S. The decision follows consultation with the FDA and agreement on amendments to the study protocols including guidance on monitoring and management of neurologic adverse events. Bellicum will be working with U.S. clinical sites to resume patient recruitment based on the amended protocols.
On January 30, studies of BPX-501 were placed on a clinical hold following three cases of encephalopathy deemed possibly related to the treatment. The FDA clinical hold did not affect the BP-004 registrational trial in Europe, which is fully enrolled.
About BPX-501
BPX-501 is an adjunct T-cell therapy administered after allogeneic HSCT, comprising genetically modified donor T cells incorporating Bellicum's CaspaCIDe® safety switch. It is designed to provide a safety net to eliminate alloreactive BPX-501 T cells (via administration of activator agent rimiducid) should uncontrollable graft versus host disease or other T-cell mediated transplant complications occur. This may enable physicians to more safely perform stem cell transplants by administering BPX-501–engineered T cells to speed immune reconstitution, provide control over viral infections, and enhance graft-versus-leukemic activity while minimizing graft versus host disease side effects.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
