- Mesoblast (MSB) has reported a COVID-19 breakthrough using its cell therapy treatment
- The company saw an 83 per cent survival in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome
- The trial showed that 75 per cent of the COVID-19 patients had successfully come off ventilator support around 10 days after the treatment
- In contrast, one New York hospital network only saw a 12 per cent survival rate using the standard of care within the same period Mesoblast treated its patients
- Mesoblast is up 22.1 per cent on the market this morning, trading for $2.40 per share
Mesoblast (MSB) has reported an 83 per cent survival in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Earlier this month, MSB was approved to trial its novel remestemcel-L treatment for COVID-19 ARDS in the United States.
The company treated 12 people in New York between March and April 2020 using the cell therapy treatment.
The trial showed that 75 per cent ( nine out of 12) of the COVID-19 patients had successfully come off ventilator support at an average of 10 days. Within those days, seven patients were discharged from the hospital.
Patients received a variety of experimental agents prior to using Mesoblasts treatment.
All patients were treated under an emergency Investigational New Drug (IND) application or expanded access protocol at New York City’s Mt Sinai hospital.
In contrast, COVID-19 ventilator-dependent patients at a New York hospital network, receiving the standard care during March and April, saw only nine per cent (38 out of 445 patients) come off ventilator support.
At another major referral hospital network, standard care patients saw an 88 per cent mortality rate and a survival rate of 12 per cent.
Those figures are in line with mortality rates experienced by moderate to severe ARDS patients in China earlier.
Mesoblast is a world leader in developing allogeneic (off-the-shelf) cellular medicines.
“The remarkable clinical outcomes in these critically ill patients continue to underscore the potential benefits of remestemcel-L as an anti-inflammatory agent in cytokine release syndromes associated with high mortality, including acute graft versus host disease and COVID-19 ARDS,” Chief Executive Dr Silviu Itescu said.
“We intend to rapidly complete the randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2/3 trial in COVID-19 ARDS patients to rigorously confirm that remestemcel-L improves survival in these critically ill patients,” he added.
Mesoblast is up 22.1 per cent on the market this morning, trading for $2.40 per share at 10:32 am AEST.