NeoStem Records Better 5-year Survival Rates With Melapuldencel-T Immunotherapy

(RTTNews) - NeoStem, Inc. (NBS), a developer of cellular therapies, Thursday said its investigational, patient-specific immunotherapy Melapuldencel-T for metastatic melanoma, a type of skin cancer, may increase survival rates significantly for patients at advanced stages of the disease.

Pooled data from two of three clinical trails conducted from 1990 to 2011 showed that 5-year overall survival for patients treated with Melapuldencel-T was 33 percent, compared with 20 percent for those treated with the comparator therapy (autologous tumor cells that had been irradiated to render them inactive).

Melapuldencel-T is intended to kill cancer-initiating cells that can cause the disease to recur.

NeoStem will begin a Phase 3 study Melapuldencel-T later this year under a Special Protocol Assessment agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or FDA. The company added that the therapy has been granted fast-track designation by the agency.