Mesoblast Submits New Information to FDA IND File in Response to Items in the CRL to the Remestemcel-L BLA for SR-aGVHD

NEW YORK, Oct. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mesoblast Limited (Nasdaq:MESO; ASX:MSB), global leader in allogeneic cellular medicines for inflammatory diseases, announced today that it has submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) substantial new information on clinical and potency assay items identified in the Complete Response Letter (CRL) received from FDA in September 2020 to the Biologics License Application (BLA) for remestemcel-L in the treatment of children with steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease (SR-aGVHD).

Mesoblast has maintained an active dialog with the FDA since receiving the CRL, and the substantial new information submitted to the Investigational New Drug (IND) file for remestemcel-L in the treatment of children with SR-aGVHD, as guided by FDA, represents a major milestone in the Company’s complete response to the FDA. Remestemcel-L has been granted Fast Track Designation and BLA Priority Review from the FDA.

Survival outcomes have not improved over the past two decades for children or adults with the most severe forms of SR-aGVHD.^1-3 The lack of any approved treatments for children under 12 means that there is an urgent need for a therapy that improves the dismal survival outcomes in children.

“The submission summarizes controlled data providing further evidence of remestemcel-L’s ability to save lives,” said Dr. Silviu Itescu, Chief Executive of Mesoblast. “Additionally, the improved process controls we have put in place to assure robust and consistent commercial product, together with a potency assay that predicts consistent survival outcomes, makes remestemcel-L a compelling treatment for these children.”

About Steroid-refractory Acute Graft Versus Host Disease
Acute GVHD occurs in approximately 50% of patients who receive an allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT). Over 30,000 patients worldwide undergo an allogeneic BMT annually, primarily during treatment for blood cancers, including about 20% in pediatric patients.^4,5 SR-aGVHD is associated with mortality as high as 90% and significant extended hospital stay costs.^6,7 There are currently no FDA-approved treatments in the US for children under 12 with SR-aGVHD.

About Mesoblast
Mesoblast is a world leader in developing allogeneic (off-the-shelf) cellular medicines for the treatment of severe and life-threatening inflammatory conditions. The Company has leveraged its proprietary mesenchymal lineage cell therapy technology platform to establish a broad portfolio of late-stage product candidates which respond to severe inflammation by releasing anti-inflammatory factors that counter and modulate multiple effector arms of the immune system, resulting in significant reduction of the damaging inflammatory process.

Mesoblast has a strong and extensive global intellectual property portfolio with protection extending through to at least 2041 in all major markets. The Company’s proprietary manufacturing processes yield industrial-scale, cryopreserved, off-the-shelf, cellular medicines. These cell therapies, with defined pharmaceutical release criteria, are planned to be readily available to patients worldwide.

Mesoblast is developing product candidates for distinct indications based on its remestemcel-L and rexlemestrocel-L allogeneic stromal cell technology platforms. Remestemcel-L is being developed for inflammatory diseases in children and adults including steroid refractory acute graft versus host disease, biologic-resistant inflammatory bowel disease, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Rexlemestrocel-L is in development for advanced chronic heart failure and chronic low back pain. Two products have been commercialized in Japan and Europe by Mesoblast’s licensees, and the Company has established commercial partnerships in Europe and China for certain Phase 3 assets.

Mesoblast has locations in Australia, the United States and Singapore and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (MSB) and on the Nasdaq (MESO). For more information, please see www.mesoblast.com, LinkedIn: Mesoblast Limited and Twitter: @Mesoblast

References / Footnotes

1. Berger M, Pessolano R, Carraro F, Saglio F, Vassallo E, Fagioli F. Steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease graded III-IV in pediatric patients. A mono-institutional experience with a long-term follow-up. Pediatric Transplantation. 2020; 24(7):e13806
2. Rashidi A, DeFor T, Holtan S, Blazar B, Weisdorf D, MacMillan M. Outcomes and Predictors of Response in Steroid-Refractory Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 25 (2019) 2297-2302
3. Biavasco F, Ihorst G, Wasch R, Wehr C, Bertz H, Finke J, Zeiser R. Therapy response of glucocorticoid-refractory acute GVHD of the lower intestinal tract. Bone Marrow Transplantation. 2022
4. Niederwieser D, Baldomero H, Szer J. (2016) Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation activity worldwide in 2012 and a SWOT analysis of the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group including the global survey.
5. HRSA Transplant Activity Report, CIBMTR, 2019
6. Westin, J., Saliba, RM., Lima, M. (2011) Steroid-refractory acute GVHD: predictors and outcomes. Advances in Hematology.
7. Axt L, Naumann A, Toennies J (2019) Retrospective single center analysis of outcome, risk factors and therapy in steroid refractory graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantion. Bone Marrow Transplantation.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements that relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We make such forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and actual results may differ from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material and adverse. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress and results of Mesoblast’s preclinical and clinical studies, and Mesoblast’s research and development programs; Mesoblast’s ability to advance product candidates into, enroll and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; Mesoblast’s ability to advance its manufacturing capabilities; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals (including BLA resubmission), manufacturing activities and product marketing activities, if any; the commercialization of Mesoblast’s product candidates, if approved; regulatory or public perceptions and market acceptance surrounding the use of stem-cell based therapies; the potential for Mesoblast’s product candidates, if any are approved, to be withdrawn from the market due to patient adverse events or deaths; the potential benefits of strategic collaboration agreements and Mesoblast’s ability to enter into and maintain established strategic collaborations; Mesoblast’s ability to establish and maintain intellectual property on its product candidates and Mesoblast’s ability to successfully defend these in cases of alleged infringement; the scope of protection Mesoblast is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering its product candidates and technology; estimates of Mesoblast’s expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and its needs for additional financing; Mesoblast’s financial performance; developments relating to Mesoblast’s competitors and industry; and the pricing and reimbursement of Mesoblast’s product candidates, if approved. You should read this press release together with our risk factors, in our most recently filed reports with the SEC or on our website. Uncertainties and risks that may cause Mesoblast’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligations to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

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