Mesoblast MPCs to be trialled in end-stage heart failure

Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) will collaborate with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) on a trial involving using Mesoblast’s adult stem cell therapy in end-stage heart failure.

Mesoblast and the NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute will conduct a 120-patient trial in patients with advanced heart failure requiring an implantable left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

The NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Canadian Institutes for Heart Research will also provide support for the trial.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2:1 randomised study will be conducted across around 20 US clinical sites. Patients will be given a single injection of 150 million mesenchymal precursor cells (MPCs) into the heart.

Its key objectives will be to evaluate whether Mesoblast’s proprietary MPCs can improve heart muscle function sufficiently to reduce the need for LVAD support, and to mitigate the long-term complications of LVAD implantation.

Mesoblast’s commercialisation partner Teva Pharmaceutical Industries recently commenced a 1700 patient phase III trial in patients with earlier-stage chronic congestive heart failure. This trial will involve administering the same 150 million MPC dose.

In June, the NIH published the results of a 30-patient trial showing that implanting MPCs in patients on LVADs was associated with an increased ability to maintain circulation without the support of the device.

Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) shares were trading 1.99% lower at $3.94 as of around 2 pm on Friday.