Daiichi Sankyo receives license to market Heartcel in Japan

Daiichi Sankyo Company Ltd. this week announced a license agreement with Cell Therapy Ltd. (CTL). 

The two companies have agreed on an exclusive license for Heartcel, which Daiichi Sankyo will develop and market in Japan.

CTL will continue with the manufacturing of Heartcel for clinical trials and commercializing the medication. It will receive a lump sum payment from Daiichi Sankyo, and milestone and royalty payments in the future.

Heartcel was developed for patients with ischemic heart failure. The medication is an allogeneic iMP (immune-modulatory progenitor) cell therapeutic agent. A donor's somatic stem cells are processed and cultured to produce the therapeutic agent, which will then be injected into the patient's heart muscle.

Ischemic heart disease occurs when the arteries are narrowed, preventing an adequate flow of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle. It is also known as coronary artery disease. Over time, the heart becomes too weak or stiff to pump the blood properly. This condition is known as heart failure.

Patients suffering from ischemia may have chest pains or a heart attack. In some cases, the patient has no prior pain or warning before a heart attack.

A study in Denmark used stem cells taken from ischemic heart failure patients. The cells were then cultured and then injected back into the patient's own heart muscle. The study showed improvement in the heart's functions.