On December 2, 2018 NewLink Genetics Corporation (NASDAQ:NLNK) reported that updated Phase 1 data evaluating indoximod plus standard-of-care chemotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were presented today by Ashkan Emadi, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Associate Director for Clinical Research, University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, in an oral session today at the 60th American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, from 9:30AM – 11:00AM PT, in Grand Hall B, Manchester Grand Hyatt (Press release, NewLink Genetics, DEC 2, 2018, View Source [SID1234531894]).

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This Phase 1 trial evaluated the initial safety and preliminary evidence of clinical activity of adding indoximod to standard 7+3 induction and high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) consolidation chemotherapy for adult patients with newly diagnosed AML. The presentation highlighted an initial safety profile indicating that the treatment regimen was well tolerated with adverse events commensurate with chemotherapy alone. Evidence of clinical activity was observed for indoximod plus chemotherapy in newly diagnosed AML as supported by these Phase 1 data showing post-induction minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rate of 86% and post-HiDAC1 MRD negativity of 100%.
"These data demonstrate the promising potential for indoximod in combination therapy for patients with newly diagnosed AML and the use of MRD status as a study endpoint," said Dr. Ashkan Emadi. "We remain encouraged and look forward to additional data as this study proceeds."
Fifty-seven patients were screened, and 38 patients initiated induction therapy on protocol. Five patients never received indoximod resulting in an intent-to-treat (ITT) population of 33 patients. Twenty-two patients received the pre-specified 80% of indoximod dosing required to be included in the per protocol (PP) analysis, 8 received less than 80% of the scheduled indoximod dosage, and 3 patients remained on induction treatment as of the date of data cut off. Of these 22 PP patients, 16/22 (73%) achieved complete morphological response (CR) and 6 were primary refractory. Of the patients who achieved CR, 14 had results available from MRD testing post-induction. MRD negativity was defined by a flow cytometry assay at a level of < 0.02% (Hematologics, Inc., Seattle, WA). Of those tested, 12/14 (86%) were MRD-negative. Of the 14 patients, 1 patient proceeded to transplant, and 13 began HiDAC consolidation therapy. Post-HiDAC consolidation, all 13 patients were tested for MRD status with all 13/13 (100%) reported to be MRD-negative. When benchmarked against available published studies, these initial data appear encouraging. For a more precise comparison, a contemporaneous multi-institutional dataset is being aggregated to benchmark these data against data generated from patients undergoing the same chemotherapy regimen without the addition of indoximod using the same MRD assay assessed at the same reference laboratory.
Safety data from this Phase 1 trial indicate that the combination therapy regimen was well tolerated. No RLTs were observed when combining indoximod with standard-of-care chemotherapy. Grade 3 or greater adverse hematologic events included febrile neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia while non-hematologic events included hypoxia, anemia, and pneumonia. The overall adverse event profile observed in this small sample size is consistent with that of 7+3 induction chemotherapy plus HiDAC consolidation alone.

About AML1,2
Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow in which the bone marrow makes abnormal types of white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelets. AML is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults and tends to progress rapidly without treatment. In the US, approximately 19,000 patients per year are diagnosed with AML with only around 25% expected to survive longer than three years. Of those newly diagnosed patients, approximately half are categorized as young and fit for an aggressive chemotherapy treatment regimen.
1 National Cancer Institute
2 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper)

About Indoximod
Indoximod is an investigational, orally available small molecule targeting the IDO pathway. The IDO pathway is a key immuno-oncology target, suppressing immune response and allowing for immune escape by degrading tryptophan with the resultant production of kynurenine. Indoximod reverses the immunosuppressive effects of low tryptophan and high kynurenine through mechanisms that include modulation of the AhR-driven transcription of genes that control immune function. This results in increased proliferation of effector T cells, increased differentiation into helper T cells rather than regulatory T cells, and downregulation of IDO expression in dendritic cells. Indoximod is being evaluated in combination with treatment regimens including chemotherapy, radiation, checkpoint blockade and cancer vaccines across multiple indications including recurrent pediatric brain tumors, DIPG, and AML.

On December 2, 2018 NewLink Genetics Corporation (NASDAQ:NLNK) reported that updated Phase 1 data evaluating indoximod plus standard-of-care chemotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were presented today by Ashkan Emadi, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Associate Director for Clinical Research, University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, in an oral session today at the 60thAmerican Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, from 9:30AM – 11:00AM PT, in Grand Hall B, Manchester Grand Hyatt (Press release, NewLink Genetics, DEC 2, 2018, View Source [SID1234531779]).

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This Phase 1 trial evaluated the initial safety and preliminary evidence of clinical activity of adding indoximod to standard 7+3 induction and high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) consolidation chemotherapy for adult patients with newly diagnosed AML. The presentation highlighted an initial safety profile indicating that the treatment regimen was well tolerated with adverse events commensurate with chemotherapy alone. Evidence of clinical activity was observed for indoximod plus chemotherapy in newly diagnosed AML as supported by these Phase 1 data showing post-induction minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rate of 86% and post-HiDAC1 MRD negativity of 100%.

"These data demonstrate the promising potential for indoximod in combination therapy for patients with newly diagnosed AML and the use of MRD status as a study endpoint," said Dr. Ashkan Emadi. "We remain encouraged and look forward to additional data as this study proceeds."

Fifty-seven patients were screened, and 38 patients initiated induction therapy on protocol. Five patients never received indoximod resulting in an intent-to-treat (ITT) population of 33 patients. Twenty-two patients received the pre-specified 80% of indoximod dosing required to be included in the per protocol (PP) analysis, 8 received less than 80% of the scheduled indoximod dosage, and 3 patients remained on induction treatment as of the date of data cut off. Of these 22 PP patients, 16/22 (73%) achieved complete morphological response (CR) and 6 were primary refractory. Of the patients who achieved CR, 14 had results available from MRD testing post-induction. MRD negativity was defined by a flow cytometry assay at a level of < 0.02% (Hematologics, Inc., Seattle, WA). Of those tested, 12/14 (86%) were MRD-negative. Of the 14 patients, 1 patient proceeded to transplant, and 13 began HiDAC consolidation therapy. Post-HiDAC consolidation, all 13 patients were tested for MRD status with all 13/13 (100%) reported to be MRD-negative. When benchmarked against available published studies, these initial data appear encouraging. For a more precise comparison, a contemporaneous multi-institutional dataset is being aggregated to benchmark these data against data generated from patients undergoing the same chemotherapy regimen without the addition of indoximod using the same MRD assay assessed at the same reference laboratory.

Safety data from this Phase 1 trial indicate that the combination therapy regimen was well tolerated. No RLTs were observed when combining indoximod with standard-of-care chemotherapy. Grade 3 or greater adverse hematologic events included febrile neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia while non-hematologic events included hypoxia, anemia, and pneumonia. The overall adverse event profile observed in this small sample size is consistent with that of 7+3 induction chemotherapy plus HiDAC consolidation alone.

About AML1,2

Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow in which the bone marrow makes abnormal types of white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelets. AML is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults and tends to progress rapidly without treatment. In the US, approximately 19,000 patients per year are diagnosed with AML with only around 25% expected to survive longer than three years. Of those newly diagnosed patients, approximately half are categorized as young and fit for an aggressive chemotherapy treatment regimen.

1National Cancer Institute
2American Society of Clinical Oncology

About Indoximod

Indoximod is an investigational, orally available small molecule targeting the IDO pathway. The IDO pathway is a key immuno-oncology target, suppressing immune response and allowing for immune escape by degrading tryptophan with the resultant production of kynurenine. Indoximod reverses the immunosuppressive effects of low tryptophan and high kynurenine through mechanisms that include modulation of the AhR-driven transcription of genes that control immune function. This results in increased proliferation of effector T cells, increased differentiation into helper T cells rather than regulatory T cells, and downregulation of IDO expression in dendritic cells. Indoximod is being evaluated in combination with treatment regimens including chemotherapy, radiation, checkpoint blockade and cancer vaccines across multiple indications including recurrent pediatric brain tumors, DIPG, and AML.

On December 2, 2018 Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) reported at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting that the REFLECTIONS B328-06 study, a comparative safety and efficacy study of PF-05280586 versus Rituxan/MabThera (rituximab-EU)i, met its primary endpoint of overall response rate (ORR) at Week 26 of the 52-week study.1

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"It is encouraging to see new data supporting a potential rituximab Biosimilar. If approved this may help provide a more cost-effective treatment option and expand access for patients and physicians," said Dr. Jeff Sharman, medical director, US Oncology Hematology Research. "The data presented today will help us understand the nuances of the medicine without the confounding influence of additional concurrent treatments."

26-week data from the ongoing 52-week REFLECTIONS B328-06 study (n=394) demonstrated no clinically meaningful differences in efficacy, in terms of ORR at Week 26, between PF-05280586 and MabThera, for the first-line treatment of patients with CD20-positive, low tumor burden, follicular lymphoma (LTB-FL).1 ORR at Week 26 was 75.5% (PF-05280586) vs 70.7% (rituximab-EU), and was within the pre-specified equivalence margin. ORR is defined as the percentage of patients achieving complete response (CR) or partial response (PR), based on central review. Additionally, estimated rates of one-year progression-free survival were similar across groups (76.4% vs. 81.2% in the PF-05280586 and MabThera groups, respectively).1 The results also show that PF-05280586 had a similar safety profile to MabThera.1

"With a patient centered approach and over a decade of experience globally,2 Pfizer remains dedicated to developing and delivering high quality biosimilars with similar efficacy and safety profiles to originator medicines that help have a meaningful impact on people living with various conditions including cancer," said Joe McClellan, vice president, Biosimilars Development at Pfizer. "We have also been a committed global partner to the oncology community for almost 20 years, and the continued growth of our oncology and supportive care presence, through both novel therapies and biosimilars, means we are able to provide patients, physicians and healthcare systems with a wider range of treatment options."

PF-05280586 has been accepted for review by the FDA, the BsUFA goal date for a decision by the FDA is in second-quarter 2019. Pfizer is also working towards making PF-05280586 available for patients in Europe. Further results on the safety and efficacy from this ongoing 52-week study in LTB-FL are expected to be presented next year.

About PF-05280586

PF-05280586 is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that is in development as a potential biosimilar to Rituxan/MabThera. Rituxan/MabThera is indicated for the treatment of patients with certain types of CD20-positive non-Hodgkin lymphoma; CD20-positive chronic lymphocytic leukemia; rheumatoid arthritis; granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis; and other region-specific indications.3, 4

PF-05280586 is an investigational compound and has not received regulatory approval in any country. Biosimilarity has not yet been established by regulatory authorities.

About the REFLECTIONS B328-06 Study

REFLECTIONS B328-06 is a randomized, 52-week double-blind clinical trial evaluating the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics and pharmodynamics of PF-05280586 versus MabThera for the first-line treatment of patients with CD20-positive, low tumor burden, follicular lymphoma.

More information about the PF-05280586 REFLECTIONS B32806 study can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

On December 2, 2018 Novartis reported its results of a retrospective, real-world evidence study in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) treated with Revolade (eltrombopag), compared to other second-line therapies (Press release, Novartis, DEC 2, 2018, View Source [SID1234531762]). The data demonstrated that patients experienced better clinical outcomes with Revolade, in terms of fewer bleeding episodes. The data were presented during the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) in San Diego.

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"Despite advances in treating immune thrombocytopenia, many patients remain at risk for bleeding episodes," said Samit Hirawat, MD, Head, Novartis Oncology Global Drug Development. "With these kind of real-world data, we can reimagine care by more clearly understanding the outcomes of a range of treatments and, in turn, helping healthcare providers better navigate available options with their patients."

Electronic health records (EHR) data from January 1, 2009 to September 30, 2016 from the Optum EHR database were used to evaluate the effect of second-line agents for ITP. Identified patients had the following characteristics: 18 years or older, evidence of previous treatment with steroids or immune globulin products, and activity in the database for at least 6 months prior to and 12 months post initiation of a second-line agent. Treatment outcomes evaluated included platelet counts, bleeding related episodes (BREs), and thrombotic events (TEs) over the 12-month period following starting a second-line therapy.

Of the 2,526 adults that met the inclusion criteria, 110 (4.4%) received eltrombopag, 189 (7.5%) romiplostim, 1,488 (58.9%) rituximab, and 260 (10.3%) splenectomy, with the remaining 479 (18.9%) receiving a mix of other second-line agents. Compared to baseline, platelet counts increased in all treatment cohorts. The proportion of patients who experienced BREs ranged from 25.5% (eltrombopag) to 36.5% (romiplostim), while TEs were observed in all treatment cohorts ranging from 11.6% (eltrombopag) to 15.7% (splenectomy). An additional analysis demonstrated that patients with ITP who had a splenectomy as second-line treatment had the highest mean platelet counts during the first 12 months post treatment initiation, but were at greatest risk for TEs (15.7%) (e.g., stroke, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism) compared to 11.6% (eltrombopag), 12.7% (romiplostim), and 13.9% (rituximab).

"These real-world data can help doctors as they weigh options for second-line therapy with their patients." Adam Cuker, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "They may also help explain the long-term trend toward deferring splenectomies until after other lines of treatment have been tried."

Immune thrombocytopenia is a rare and potentially serious blood disorder where there is an increased risk of bleeding due to a low number of platelets. As a result, patients with ITP experience bruising, bleeding and, in rare cases, serious hemorrhage that can be fatal.[1] The goal of treatment in chronic/persistent ITP is to maintain a safe platelet count that reduces the risk of bleeding.[1]

Promacta/Revolade (eltrombopag)
Eltrombopag, marketed as Promacta in the US and Revolade in countries outside the US, is approved in more than 90 countries worldwide for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) who have had an inadequate response or are intolerant to other treatments. It is also approved for the treatment of patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) as first-line therapy in the US (patients 2 years and older) and Japan, and in many other countries for patients who are refractory to other treatments. In more than 40 countries, Promacta/Revolade is indicate for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic hepatitis C to allow them to initiate and maintain interferon-based therapy. Promacta/Revolade is approved in the US and in the European Union for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in pediatric patients 1 year and older with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins, or splenectomy. Promacta should only be used in patients with ITP whose degree of thrombocytopenia and clinical condition increase the risk for bleeding.

Important Safety Information
Promacta can cause serious side effects, including liver problems, abnormal liver function tests, high platelet counts and higher risk for blood clots, and new or worsened cataracts (a clouding of the lens in the eye).

Promacta is not for treatment of people with a precancerous condition called myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). If you have MDS and receive Promacta, your MDS condition may worsen and become AML. If MDS worsens to become AML, you may die sooner from AML.

For patients who have chronic hepatitis C virus and take Promacta with interferon and ribavirin treatment, Promacta may increase the risk of liver problems. Patients should tell a healthcare provider right away if they have any of these signs and symptoms of liver problems including yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes (jaundice), unusual darkening of the urine, unusual tiredness, right upper stomach area pain, confusion, swelling of the stomach area (abdomen).

A healthcare provider will order blood tests to check the liver before starting Promacta and during Promacta treatment. In some cases, treatment with Promacta may need to be stopped due to changes in liver function tests.

The risk of getting a blood clot is increased if the platelet count is too high during treatment with Promacta. The risk of getting a blood clot may also be increased during treatment with Promacta if platelet counts are normal or low. Some forms of blood clots, such as clots that travel to the lungs or that cause heart attacks or strokes can cause severe problems or death. A healthcare provider will check blood platelet counts, and change the dose of Promacta or stop Promacta, if platelet counts get too high. Patients should tell a healthcare provider right away if they have signs and symptoms of a blood clot in the leg, such as swelling, pain, or tenderness in the leg.

People with chronic liver disease may be at risk for a type of blood clot in the stomach area. Patients should tell a healthcare provider right away if they have stomach area pain that may be a symptom of this type of blood clot.

New or worsened cataracts have happened in people taking Promacta. A healthcare provider will check the patient’s eyes before and during treatment with Promacta. Patients should tell a healthcare provider about any changes in eyesight while taking Promacta.

Patients should tell a healthcare provider about all the medicines they take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Promacta may affect the way certain medicines work. Certain medicines may keep Promacta from working correctly. Patients should take Promacta at least 4 hours before or 4 hours after taking products such as antacids used to treat stomach ulcers or heartburn and multivitamins or products that contain iron, calcium, aluminum, magnesium, selenium, and zinc, which may be found in mineral supplements. Patients should ask a healthcare provider if they are not sure if the medicine is one that is listed above.

Patients should avoid situations and medications that may increase the risk of bleeding while taking Promacta.

The most common side effects of Promacta when used to treat chronic ITP in adults are: nausea; diarrhea; upper respiratory tract infection (symptoms may include runny nose, stuffy nose, and sneezing); vomiting; muscle aches; urinary tract infection (symptoms may include frequent or urgent need to urinate, low fever in some people, pain or burning with urination); pain or swelling (inflammation) in the throat or mouth (oropharyngeal pain and pharyngitis); abnormal liver function tests; back pain; flu-like symptoms (influenza), including fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, and body aches; skin tingling, itching, or burning; and rash.

The most common side effects of Promacta in children 1 year and older when used to treat chronic ITP are: upper respiratory tract infections (symptoms may include runny nose, stuffy nose, and sneezing); pain or swelling (inflammation) in the nose and throat (nasopharyngitis); cough; diarrhea; pyrexia; runny, stuffy nose (rhinitis); stomach (abdominal) pain; pain or swelling (inflammation) in the throat or mouth; toothache; abnormal liver function tests; rash; runny nose (rhinorrhea).

The most common side effects when Promacta is used in combination with other medicines to treat chronic HCV are: low red blood cell count (anemia); fever; tiredness; headache; nausea; diarrhea; decreased appetite; flu-like symptoms (influenza), including fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, and body aches; feeling weak; trouble sleeping; cough; itching; chills; muscle aches; hair loss; and swelling in the ankles, feet, and legs.

The most common side effects of Promacta when used to treat severe aplastic anemia (SAA) are: nausea, feeling tired, cough, diarrhea, headache, pain in arms, legs, hands or feet, shortness of breath, fever, dizziness, pain in nose or throat, abdominal pain, bruising, muscle spasms, abnormal liver function tests, joint pain, and runny nose. Laboratory tests may show abnormal changes to the cells in bone marrow.

The most common side effects of Promacta when used to treat adults and pediatric patients 2 years and older with SAA in combination with standard immunosuppressive therapy are: abnormal liver function tests, rash and skin discoloration including darkening of skin patches
(hyperpigmentation).

On December 2, 2018 Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLCM), a leader in developing novel, controllable cellular immunotherapies for cancers and orphan inherited blood disorders, reported additional follow-up results from a subset of children with high-risk/relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Press release, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, DEC 2, 2018, View Source [SID1234531780]). The data showed durable anti-leukemic effects in patients treated with rivo-celTM (rivogenlecleucel, formerly BPX-501) following αβT-cell and B-cell depleted allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The data were reviewed in an oral presentation today at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) (ASH 2018) by Principal Investigator Franco Locatelli, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Department of Hematology and Oncology and Cell/Gene Therapy at Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù in Rome, Italy.

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"Cancer recurrence is one of the primary factors affecting the success rate of allogeneic HSCT. Rivo-cel appears to lower the rate of cancer recurrence in children receiving αβT-cell and B-cell depleted allogeneic HSCT—suggesting that the diverse population of donor T cells in rivo-cel product may reduce or eliminate residual cancer cells," said Dr. Locatelli. "Moreover, while you might expect to see Graft versus Host Disease with this approach, the overall rates were low and rimiducid was effective for most patients who developed visceral GvHD or who were refractory to standard of care treatment for GvHD. These encouraging data support the potential of rivo-cel as an important treatment for children with blood cancers who need a stem cell transplant and lack a matched donor."

Study Design and Highlights

Investigators evaluated the safety and efficacy of rivo-cel administered after an αβT-cell and B-cell depleted haploidentical HSCT (haplo-HSCT) in pediatric patients with high-risk/relapsed acute leukemias in morphological complete remission (CR). The objective was to determine whether rivo-cel could extend relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) via graft versus leukemia (GvL) effect, while maintaining a low-risk of GvHD. 100 AML and ALL HSCT patients were evaluated for safety. 95 of 100 patients received rivo-cel treatment and therefore were eligible for efficacy evaluation. Patients had a median follow-up of 17 months. Results are summarized as follows:

Survival outcomes:

ALL
n = 52 AML
n = 43
Relapse-free survival
CR1
CR2

100.0%
73.2%

78.0%
88.8%
Overall Survival
CR1
CR2

100.0%
89.9%

86.7%
95.7%
GvHD outcomes:

21 of 96 evaluable patients developed Grade I-IV acute GvHD (21.9%); 3 patients developed Grade III-IV acute GvHD (3.1% [95% CI: 0 – 6.6%]) 9 cases of late-onset aGVHD occurred after 100 days (2 cases of Grade III) 7 of 89 evaluable patients developed chronic GvHD (10.9% [95% CI: 2.1-19.6%]), with moderate-severe cases in 5 of these patients
Rimiducid treatment outcomes:

Of the 37 patients who developed GvHD, rimiducid was administered to 11 patients Best overall response (within 7 days) was seen in 73% (8 patients); 5 responding patients had a complete response (CR) and 2 patients with a partial response (PR) went on to achieve a complete response within 30 days following rimiducid administration
Commented Rick Fair, President & CEO of Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, "We are extremely pleased by these data, which suggest rivo-cel may be a potent and durable leukemia treatment when added to stem cell transplant. We plan to continue to follow these patients to further evaluate durability. In addition, based on these exciting results, we are in final stages of initiating a global Phase 2/3 trial in patients 12 years and older with AML and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) by the end of the year."

A copy of the ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) presentation will be made available in the Abstracts & Presentations section of the Company’s website.

Analyst and Investor Luncheon Event and Webcast
Bellicum will host a live and webcast analyst and investor luncheon event on December 3, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. PST in San Diego, CA. Featured speakers include Dr. Alice Bertaina, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Stem Cell Transplantation, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at the Stanford School of Medicine, as well as Bellicum senior management. A webcast replay of the event will be available on the News & Events section of the Bellicum website, and available for at least two weeks following the event.

About Rivo-cel (BPX-501)
Rivo-celTM (rivogenlecleucel) is an allogeneic polyclonal T-cell product designed to accelerate immune recovery after HSCT and to reduce relapse of leukemia following a stem cell transplant. The cell treatment contains a diverse repertoire of T cells which may contribute to a robust graft vs. leukemia effect. Rivo-cel’s antiviral benefits may also reduce morbidity and mortality in patients susceptible to infection following a transplant. The product’s CaspaCIDe safety switch enables this approach by allowing physicians to reduce the number of alloreactive cells in the event of uncontrolled GvHD. Rivo-cel addresses a major unmet need in adult and pediatric leukemia, lymphoma and genetic blood disease patients following a haploidentical stem cell transplant.