Pluristem’s IND Application for Phase II Study of PLX Cells for COVID-19 Treatment Receives FDA Clearance

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (Haifa, Israel) has received the US FDA’s clearance for its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for a Phase II study of its PLX cells in the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases complicated by Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

PLX cells are allogeneic mesenchymal-like cells that have immunomodulatory properties that induce the immune system’s natural regulatory T cells and M2 macrophages, and thus may prevent or reverse the dangerous overactivation of the immune system. Previous pre-clinical findings of PLX cells revealed therapeutic benefit in animal studies of pulmonary hypertension, lung fibrosis, acute kidney injury and gastrointestinal injury, which are potential complications of the severe COVID-19 infection. Clinical data using PLX cells demonstrated the strong immunomodulatory potency of PLX cells in patients post major surgery.

PLX cells are available off-the-shelf and once commercialized, can be manufactured in large scale quantities. Pluristem believes its PLX cells will offer a key advantage in addressing the COVID-19 global pandemic. PLX cells could potentially reduce the incidence and/or severity of COVID-19 pneumonia and pneumonitis, leading hopefully to a better prognosis for the patients. PLX cells’ potential capabilities, coupled with the safety profile observed from clinical trials involving hundreds of patients worldwide, potentially position them as a therapy for mitigating the tissue-damaging effects of COVID-19.

The Phase II study, titled “A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter, Parallel-Group Phase II Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Intramuscular Injections of PLX-PAD for the Treatment of severe COVID-19” will treat 140 adult patients that are intubated and mechanically ventilated and are suffering from respiratory failure and ARDS due to COVID-19. The primary efficacy endpoint of the study is the number of ventilator free days during the 28 days from day one through day 28 of the study.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of one or two intramuscular (IM) injections, in three different dosages, of PLX-PAD for the treatment of ARDS resulting from COVID-19. The primary endpoint determination will be performed at the end of the 28 day main study period. Safety and survival follow-up will be conducted at week 8, 26 and 52. A Clinical Trial Authorization (CTA) has also been filed in Europe for a Phase II COVID-19 trial, with the first European clinical sites planned in Germany and Italy.

“We are very pleased to gain clearance to commence our Phase II COVID-19 study in the US We are shifting gears now with a main focus on a rapid initiation of the clinical trial, leveraging our technological and logistical competitive advantages developed through our clinical trial experience in the US and Europe. We believe we can complete enrollment quickly and we expect to provide guidelines on the expected study duration a few weeks following the commencement of the study,” said Pluristem CEO and President, Yaky Yanay. “In the last few weeks, we have received dozens of applications from physicians and families seeking to participate in the Expanded Access per patient program. We look forward to working with hospitals and physicians on a larger scale to deliver our PLX cells, through an off-the-shelf, easy to use PLX cell product candidate, which may potentially accelerate recovery time from life threatening conditions, and to improve survival, in the most severe COVID-19 cases.”

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