IASO Biotherapeutics, a China-based biopharmaceutical company, has announced that it has received approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to initiate a clinical study for its drug candidate CT103A, known as equecabtagene autoleucel. This investigational treatment is a BCMA-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy designed for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM) who have been previously treated with 1-2 lines of therapy and have developed resistance to lenalidomide.
Equecabtagene autoleucel is an advanced autologous CAR-T therapy that utilizes a lentiviral vector to incorporate a CAR structure. This structure includes a fully human single-chain variable fragment (scFv), CD8a hinge and transmembrane domains, a 4-1BB co-stimulatory domain, and a CD3ζ activation domain. This innovative approach aims to enhance the body’s immune response against cancer cells expressing BCMA. The drug was previously granted marketing approval in China in June 2023 for the treatment of r/r MM in patients who have undergone at least three prior lines of therapy, including treatment with a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent.- Flcube.com