Despite investor doubt in allogeneic cell therapy, 2023 will be an “important” year for both autologous and allogeneic immune-cell-based therapies in multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, SVB analysts predict.
With drug candidates like mosunetuzumab, glofitamab and epcoritamab making their way through clinical trials, SVB Securities analysts are predicting the commercialization of bispecific CD3 T-cell engagers will begin to be a part of treatment paradigms as these drugs get approved.
“We expect maturation of these markets will be multi-year journeys, impacted by (lack of) necessary infrastructure and training in the community setting to deliver TCEs, slow release of manufacturing constraints for auto CAR-T, as well as ongoing data disclosures in earlier lines, from combinations, and with class sequencing,” SVB analysts wrote in a lengthy report released Tuesday.
Analysts also had a critique for the American Society for Hematology (ASH) meeting where there was undue investor pessimism toward allogeneic therapies: “For us, this is overdone, with much of the allogeneic criticism premature, given allogeneic cell therapies are in the nascent stages of clinical development.”
Allogeneic T-cell therapy took a big step forward in Europe last month with the approval of the first one on the continent. The European Commission signed off on
Ebvallo
, made by Atara Biotherapeutics, for patients with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease who are positive for Epstein-Barr virus. Other clinical trials with Ebvallo are ongoing.
Also last month,
Beam Therapeutics got the go-ahead from the FDA to continue with human testing for a base-edited, off-the-shelf CAR-T therapy in a certain type of leukemia. Beam can now investigate its candidate BEAM-201 as a potential treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL)/T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LL). Beam is one of several biotechs working on an allogeneic CAR-T therapy, which requires donor cells rather than a patient’s own cells.
The SVB analysts also took a look at what’s coming for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma treatment, including mosunetuzumab, which just earned an FDA accelerated approval. Analysts are also keeping tabs on other FDA actions yet to come: the first potential bispecific engager approvals for 3L+ large B-cell lymphoma like epcoritamab, which was granted priority review, and an anticipated July 2023 PDUFA date for Roche’s glofitamab.
“We also anticipate numerous Ph 1/2 updates from the bispecifics and the autologous and allogeneic cell therapies throughout the year,” the analysis reads. “Of these, initial Ph 1 data from DTIL’s (Not Rated) second-generation allogeneic CD19-CAR-T candidate, PBCAR19B, in 1Q23 could prove a particularly important catalyst for all allo cell therapy developers, given that the program incorporates multiple immune evasion, or “stealth”, modalities.”