On February 2, 2026 Anixa Biosciences, Inc. ("Anixa" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: ANIX), a biotechnology company focused on the treatment and prevention of cancer, reported that the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council approved "liraltagene autoleucel" for the non-proprietary name of the Company’s novel FSHR-targeted CAR-T therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer. This U.S. approval follows the earlier approval for international use of the name by the International Nonproprietary Names (INN) Expert Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO). The USAN and INN nomenclature schemes for CAR-T cell therapies follow a two-word structure describing the gene and cell component.
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"The assignment of the non-proprietary name in the U.S. represents an important step in the development and potential future commercialization of our CAR-T therapy. With this approval, and the prior approval by the INN Expert Committee of the WHO, we have the ability to establish a universally recognized and conflict-free non-proprietary drug name for our CAR-T therapy on a world-wide basis," said Dr. Amit Kumar, Chairman and CEO of Anixa. "We remain focused on the successful execution of our ongoing Phase 1 trial of liraltagene autoleucel, or lira-cel, for the treatment of ovarian cancer. The Phase 1 study is being conducted in partnership with Moffitt Cancer Center."
A USAN is a non-proprietary name selected by the USAN Council to ensure safety, consistency and logic in the choice of names of U.S. medications. The USAN Council is co-sponsored by the American Medical Association, the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, and the American Pharmacists Association. Each USAN is unique and is used to identify active pharmaceutical ingredients and ensures the clear identification, safe prescription and dispensing of medicines to patients.
About liraltagene autoleucel
Liraltagene autoleucel, or lira-cel, is a follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR)-mediated chimeric antigen receptor-T cell (CAR-T) technology that targets FSHR, which is exclusively expressed on normal ovarian cells, tumor vasculature, and certain cancer cells. Since the target is a hormone (chimeric endocrine) receptor, and the target-binding domain is derived from its natural ligand, this technology is also known as CER-T (chimeric endocrine receptor-T cell) therapy, a new type of CAR-T. Liraltagene autoleucel is currently being evaluated in a first-in-human trial (NCT05316129) that is enrolling adult women with recurrent ovarian cancer who have progressed after at least two prior therapies. The study is designed to evaluate safety, identify the maximum tolerated dose, and monitor clinical activity. Lira-cel is based on technology exclusively licensed to Anixa by The Wistar Institute.
(Press release, Anixa Biosciences, FEB 2, 2026, View Source [SID1234662408])