Allogene’s Cema-Cel Goes Express As Company Shifts To First-Line LBCL

Autoimmune CAR-T Could Sidestep Lymphodepletion

 
• By Alaric DeArment
  
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The allogeneic CAR-T developer announced a significant shift in its business strategy to develop its lead candidate in first-line consolidation of LBCL as the third-line disease setting becomes saturated.

Allogene announced a pivot to frontline consolidation of LBCL for its lead CAR-T candidate • Source: Shutterstock

Allogene Therapeutics Inc.’s decision to ditch the program for its lead CD19-directed allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy candidate, cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (cema-cel), in third-line large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) and instead move it into the frontline consolidation setting opens up a much less saturated market opportunity, but some analysts have also pointed out that it could take a long time to bear fruit.

The centerpiece of the new strategy, announced on 4 January, is the planned pivotal Phase II ALPHA3 trial, testing cema-cel...

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