Two years after a U.S. FDA advisory committee agreed that Celltrans Inc.’s pancreatic islet cellular therapy had a favorable risk-benefit profile, the agency has finally approved Lantidra (donislecel) for treating adults with type 1 diabetes.
Location, location, location. Not only is that the mantra for real estate, it often is seen as an answer to diversifying clinical trials. But having a trial site in or near an underserved community is no guarantee of a diverse study population, as health care disparities can be a more pervasive issue than location. That was one of the lessons learned from the development of Celltrans Inc.’s donislecel at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Location, location, location. Not only is that the mantra for real estate, it often is seen as an answer to diversifying clinical trials. But having a trial site in or near an underserved community is no guarantee of a diverse study population, as health care disparities can be a more pervasive issue than location. That was one of the lessons learned from the development of Celltrans Inc.’s donislecel at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
If the FDA follows the advice of its Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee, the U.S. could soon see its first approved islet transplant therapy, but few expect it to be broadly used. The adcom voted 14-9 April 15, with one abstention, that Celltrans Inc.’s donislecel, or cadaveric allogenic pancreatic islet cells, has an overall favorable risk-benefit profile for some patients with type 1 diabetes.
If the FDA follows the advice of its Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee, the U.S. could soon see its first approved islet transplant therapy, but few expect it to be broadly used. The adcom voted 14-9 April 15, with one abstention, that Celltrans Inc.’s donislecel, or cadaveric allogenic pancreatic islet cells, has an overall favorable risk-benefit profile for some patients with type 1 diabetes.
The FDA’s Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee will be venturing into new territory April 15 in which it not only has to consider whether the benefit of Celltrans Inc.’s donislecel is clinically meaningful, but it also will have to define the indication.
