Bayer announces positive results from phase I trial of Bemdaneprocel to treat Parkinson's disease

“We are on a mission to harness the power of cell therapy with the aim to help people with Parkinson’s disease regain control of their lives by restoring the functions that they have lost to this disease,” said Ahmed Enayetallah, Senior Vice President and Head of Development, BlueRock Therapeutics. “The safety profile of bemdaneprocel was encouraging along with early evidence of cell survival and engraftment, marking a very important step in the development of a potential new therapy for patients with this disease. These topline data provide a strong rationale for initiating the next phase study, and we look forward to advancing this clinical program.”

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by nerve cell damage in the brain, leading to decreased dopamine levels. At diagnosis, it is estimated that patients have already lost 50-80% of their dopaminergic neurons. The loss of these neurons leads to a progressive loss of motor function and symptoms such as tremors, muscle rigidity, and slowness of movement (bradykinesia). According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, more than 10 million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson’s disease, with approximately one million living in the United States. There is no cure, and the efficacy of current treatments decreases over time.

Bemdaneprocel (BRT-DA01), an investigational therapy comprised of dopamine producing neurons derived from pluripotent stem cells, is surgically implanted into the brain of a person with Parkinson’s disease. When transplanted, these cells have the potential to reform neural networks that have been destroyed by Parkinson’s disease in the hope of restoring motor and non-motor function to patients.

“At Bayer, we are committed to advancing cell and gene therapy innovations for patients with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder with debilitating effects on people’s lives for which there is currently no cure and only limited treatment options,” said Christian Rommel, Member of the Executive Committee of Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division and Head of Research and Development. “The positive outcome of our first cell therapy clinical trial for Parkinson’s is encouraging not only for the bemdaneprocel development program but also our entire pluripotent stem cell-based platform and warrants further investigation in larger groups of patients.”

Detailed Phase I trial data from primary and secondary endpoints will be presented at the 2023 International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders in Copenhagen from August 27 – 31.