-Company remains on track for PDUFA target action date of August 31, 2025-
-Advisory committee meeting to be held in advance of target action date-
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CAPR), a biotechnology company developing transformative cell and exosome-based therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases, today announced the completion of a mid-cycle review meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) seeking full approval for deramiocel, an investigational cell therapy, as a treatment for patients diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) cardiomyopathy. During the meeting, FDA stated that no significant deficiencies have been identified by the Review Committee and that the package is on track for a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of August 31, 2025. The FDA has also confirmed its intent to hold an advisory committee meeting, although an official date has not yet been set.
“The successful completion of our mid-cycle review meeting along with the upcoming advisory committee meeting represents major milestones on the path towards approval of deramiocel,” said Linda Marbán, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Capricor. “Deramiocel is a first-in-class cellular therapy with the potential to halt or slow the progression of DMD-cardiomyopathy, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to present the efficacy and safety data to the advisory committee. We have been actively preparing for an advisory committee meeting, and we look forward to providing the physician and patient perspectives to highlight the weight of evidence supporting the transformative potential of deramiocel in treating DMD-cardiomyopathy.”
The BLA submission is supported by Capricor’s cardiac data from its Phase 2 HOPE-2 and HOPE-2 Open Label Extension (OLE) trials compared to patient level data from an FDA-funded and published dataset on the natural history of DMD-cardiomyopathy and potential biomarkers of disease progression. Efficacy from the ongoing HOPE-3 study is not part of this BLA package submission.
About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
DMD is a devastating genetic disorder characterized by progressive weakness and chronic inflammation of the skeletal, heart and respiratory muscles with mortality at a median age of approximately 30 years. It is estimated that DMD occurs in approximately one in every 3,500 male births and that the patient population is estimated to be approximately 15,000-20,000 in the United States. DMD pathophysiology is driven by the impaired production of functional dystrophin, which normally functions as a structural protein in muscle. The reduction of functional dystrophin in muscle cells leads to significant cell damage and ultimately causes muscle cell death and fibrotic replacement. In DMD patients, heart muscle cells progressively die and are replaced with scar tissue. This cardiomyopathy eventually leads to heart failure, which is currently the leading cause of death among those with DMD. Treatment options are limited and there is no cure.
About Deramiocel
Deramiocel (CAP-1002) consists of allogeneic cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs), a rare population of cardiac cells that have been shown in preclinical and clinical studies to exert potent immunomodulatory and anti-fibrotic actions in preservation of cardiac and skeletal muscle function in dystrophiopathies such as DMD. CDCs act by secreting extracellular vesicles known as exosomes, which target macrophages and alter their expression profile to adopt a healing, rather than a pro-inflammatory phenotype. CDCs have been the subject of over 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications and have been administered to over 250 human subjects across several clinical trials.
Deramiocel for the treatment of DMD, has received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA). The regulatory pathway for deramiocel is supported by RMAT (Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy Designation) in the U.S. and the Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) Designation in the European region. In addition, if Capricor were to receive FDA marketing approval for deramiocel regarding the treatment of DMD, Capricor would be eligible to receive a Priority Review Voucher (PRV) based on its previous receipt of a rare pediatric disease designation.
About Capricor Therapeutics
Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CAPR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to advancing transformative cell and exosome-based therapeutics to redefine the treatment landscape for rare diseases. At the forefront of our innovation is our lead product candidate, deramiocel, an allogeneic cardiac-derived cell therapy. Extensive preclinical and clinical studies have shown deramiocel to exert potent immunomodulatory and anti-fibrotic actions in preservation of cardiac and skeletal muscle function in dystrophiopathies such as DMD. Deramiocel is currently in late-stage development for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Capricor is also harnessing the power of its exosome technology, using its proprietary StealthX™ platform in preclinical development focused on the areas of vaccinology, targeted delivery of oligonucleotides, proteins and small molecule therapeutics to potentially treat and prevent a diverse array of diseases. At Capricor, we stand committed to pushing the boundaries of possibility and forging a path toward transformative treatments for those in need. For more information, visit capricor.com, and follow Capricor on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
For more information, please contact:
Capricor Media Contact:
Raquel Cona
KCSA Strategic Communications
[email protected]
212.896.1204
Capricor Company Contact:
AJ Bergmann, Chief Financial Officer
[email protected]
858.727.1755