Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Gains 8%, Company Receives Orphan Drug Designation For Its BPX-501 Therapy

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals IncBLCMannounced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted its BPX-501 with an orphan drug designation. The FDA designation is for the combination of BPX-501 genetically modified T cells and activator agent rimiducid as "replacement T-cell therapy for the treatment of immunodeficiency and graft versus host disease (GvHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant." BPX-501 is an adjunct T-cell therapy incorporating the Company's proprietary CaspaCIDe safety switch. BPX-501 is currently being evaluated in various Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials and interim results have results have demonstrated reduced infection rates, faster immune reconstitution, and reductions in time to hospital discharge and in re-hospitalizations, compared to historical controls. "Expanding the availability of hematopoietic stem cell transplants to more patients with rare genetic diseases and blood cancers is a primary goal of our BPX-501 program," commented Tom Farrell, President and CEO of Bellicum Pharmaceuticals. "The FDA's approval of our request for orphan drug designation is an important milestone that supports our efforts to address key risks and improve outcomes in allogeneic transplant which could make the procedure more viable for patients who lack a perfect match donor."