An Israeli Coronavirus treatment that successfully cured seven severely ill patients in Israel tested the first US patient.
The US treatment was authorized under the US Food and Drug Administration's Single Patient Expanded Access Program, which is part of the US Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program. This is an emergency program dedicated to treating coronavirus patients as quickly as possible
The US patient was treated at Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey with the company's PLX cell therapy. Pluristem is already running a Phase III critical limb ischemia study. Similar to patients treated in Israel, this patient was critically ill with respiratory failure due to acute respiratory distress syndrome and was intubated in an intensive care unit for three weeks.
Pluristem Therapeutics uses placentas to grow smart cells, and programs them to secrete therapeutic proteins in the bodies of sick patients. Pluristem Therapeutics Inc, a biotech company, based in Haifa, reported that they applied their treatment to seven Israeli patients who had a severe respiratory failure, and they have survived.
According to the Jerusalem Post, "The patients were approved for treatment under the compassionate use program and exhibited respiratory failure requiring intubation in the ICU. Four of the patients had multi-system organ failure, including heart and kidney failure."
"The seven patients were treated with Pluristem's allogeneic placental expanded (PLX) cells. Essentially, these cells can potentially suppress or reverse the dangerous over-activation of the immune system that causes death in many coronavirus patients. All seven of the patients who received the drug survived and four patients saw an improvement in respiration. One patient is still alive but saw a continued deterioration of their respiratory system."
Pluristem is concentrating on conducting a multinational clinical study and on expanding compassionate use in other countries as well.
Pluristem CEO and President, Yaky Yanay, stated, "We are pleased with this initial outcome of the compassionate use program, and committed to harnessing PLX cells for the benefit of patients and healthcare systems. In order to maximize PLX cells' impact on patient recovery and to work towards making our treatment widely available, we plan to quickly move forward into a clinical development program."
Meanwhile, the company's stock price skyrocketed; the price has more than doubled in a short time. Which presents high expectations for this Israeli COVID-19 treatment.
