Gamida Cell's NiCord® Receives FDA and EMA Orphan Drug Designation

JERUSALEM, January 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Gamida Cell, a leader in cell therapy technologies and products for transplantation and adaptive immune therapy, announced today that orphan drug designation has been granted by The US Department of Health and Human Services, The FDA Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) for the investigational medicinal product NiCord^® for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Hodgkin lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The FDA orphan drug designation coincides with the positive opinion of the European Medicines Agency's (EMA's) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) regarding NiCord^® as a treatment for AML. Gamida Cell intends to file for NiCord^® orphan drug status with the EMA for other indications as well.

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"Receipt of orphan drug status for NiCord^® in the US and Europe advances Gamida Cell's commercialization plans a major step further, as both afford significant advantages. We very much appreciate the positive feedback and support of the FDA and EMA and look forward to continuing what has been a very positive dialogue with these important agencies," said Gamida Cell president and CEO Dr. Yael Margolin.

The FDA and EMA grant an orphan drug designation to promote the development of products that demonstrate promise for the treatment of rare diseases or conditions. Orphan drug designation provides for various regulatory and economic benefits, including seven years of market exclusivity in the U.S. and 10 years in the EU.  

NiCord^® is derived from a single cord blood unit which has been expanded in culture and enriched with stem cells using Gamida Cell's proprietary NAM technology. It is currently being tested in a Phase I/II study as an investigational therapeutic treatment for hematological malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma. In this study, NiCord^® is being used as the sole stem cell source. Click here for more information.

About Gamida Cell 

Gamida Cell is a world leader in cell therapy technologies and products for transplantation and adaptive immune therapy. The company's pipeline of products are in development with a potential to treat a wide range of conditions including blood cancers, non-malignant hematological diseases such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia, neutropenia and acute radiation syndrome, autoimmune diseases, solid tumors and genetic metabolic diseases as well as conditions that can be helped by adaptive immune therapy such as solid and blood cancers refractory to chemotherapy.  Gamida Cell's therapeutic candidates contain populations of adult stem cells, selected from non-controversial sources such as umbilical cord blood, bone marrow and peripheral blood, which are expanded in culture. Gamida Cell's current shareholders include: Novartis, Elbit Imaging, Clal Biotechnology Industries, Israel Healthcare Venture, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Amgen, Denali Ventures and Auriga Ventures. For more information please visit http://www.gamida-cell.com.

Forward looking statement

All forward-looking statements in this announcement are based on information available to Gamida Cell as of the date hereof and Gamida Cell cannot guarantee such statements will materialize. Gamida Cell does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

Press contact:
Marjie Hadad
MH Communications
+972-54-536-5220
[email protected]

SOURCE Gamida Cell