Mesoblast (NASDAQ:MESO; ASX:MSB) reported an 83% survival in 10-of-12, or 83%, of ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients with moderate/severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) treated during March-April 2020 with two intravenous infusions of its allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell product candidate, remestemcel-L, within the first five days.
Nine-of-12 patients, or 75%, successfully come off ventilator support at a median of 10 days. As of April 24, seven have been discharged from the hospital. Patients received a variety of experimental agents prior to remestemcel-L. All patients were treated under an emergency IND application or expanded access protocol at New York City’s Mt Sinai hospital. Ventilator-dependent COVID-19 ARDS patients generally have poor outcomes.
“The remarkable clinical outcomes in these critically ill patients continue to underscore the potential benefits of remestemcel-L as an anti-inflammatory agent in cytokine release syndromes associated with high mortality, including acute graft versus host disease and COVID-19 ARDS,” Mesoblast CEO, Dr. Silviu Itescu, said in a statement.
“We intend to rapidly complete a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2/3 trial in COVID-19 ARDS patients to rigorously confirm that remestemcel-L improves survival in these critically ill patients,” he added.
