Athersys Inc. (NSDQ:ATHX) reported more positive results from an ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of its adult stem cell therapy for the treatment of heart-attack patients.
The new data show that Athersys’ MultiStem treatment was well-tolerated at all dose levels and also suggest improvement in heart function in treated patients. The newly announced results are based on four months of data on patients who were treated with MultiStem after suffering acute myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks, according to the company.
The results show that MultiStem has a “favorable safety profile” and that adverse events that occured after patients received the treatment were generally “mild-to-moderate in nature," according toAthersys.
“We are continuing to see strong findings from this Phase1 study that suggest that MultiStem is well-tolerated and that administration following a heart attack could provide a meaningful improvement in functional heart measures, said project researcher and director of Cardiovascular Cell Therapy at the Cleveland Clinic Dr. Marc Penn in prepared remarks.
Last month, Athersys revealed similar results from the ongoing heart attack trial.
MultiStem is an off-the-shelf stem cell treatment derived from the bone marrow of adults or other non-embryonic sources. The cells have a drug-like effect, reducing inflammation, protecting damaged tissue and forming new blood vessels and then are cleared from the body.
Athersys is partnering with Canada-based Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. to develop MultiStem for cardiovascular applications. The companies are planning another clinical trial that they expect to begin next year, according to Athersys.
