The FDA granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) designation for NXC-201 for the treatment of a life-threatening blood disorder, Amyloid Light Chain (AL) Amyloidosis. NXC-201, a next generation CAR-T cell therapy, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial NEXICART-1 (NCT04720313).
The FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development grants orphan designation status to drugs and biologics that are intended for the safe and effective treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases, or conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Orphan Drug Designation provides certain benefits, including financial incentives, to support clinical development and the potential for up to 7 years of market exclusivity in the U.S. upon regulatory approval.
“We are pleased to receive FDA’s orphan drug designation in AL amyloidosis for NXC-201, the only clinical-stage CAR-T cell therapy in development for AL amyloidosis,” said Ilya Rachman, MD PhD, Executive Chairman of Nexcella, adding, “We are thrilled to potentially expand therapeutic options for relapsed and refractory AL amyloidosis patients, where we have observed to date in our NXC-201 clinical trials a 100% hematologic response rate and demonstrated organ responses in patient hearts, livers and kidneys, for AL amyloidosis patients who received a median of 6 earlier treatments that previously failed to halt the disease.” Gabriel Morris, President of Nexcella, added, “We believe one-time treatment NXC-201 could offer AL amyloidosis patients a convenient therapeutic option.”
About AL Amyloidosis
AL amyloidosis is a rare systemic disorder caused by an abnormality of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Misfolded amyloid proteins produced by these cells cause a buildup of misfolded immunoglobulin proteins in and around tissues, nerves and organs, gradually affecting their function. This can cause progressive and widespread organ damage and high mortality rates.
AL amyloidosis affects roughly 30,000 – 40,000 patients in the U.S. and Europe, and it is estimated that there are approximately 3,000 – 4,000 new cases annually in the U.S. The estimated annual global incidence ~15,000 patients.
The Amyloidosis market was $3.6 billion in 2017, expected to reach $6 billion in 2025, according to Grand View Research.
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