The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved an international nonproprietary name (INN) for Anixa Biosciences’ experimental ovarian cancer cell therapy.
The therapy will now be officially known as liraltagene autoleucel, or lira-cel. An INN, sometimes called a generic name, is used worldwide to identify a specific drug.
“This approval is an important milestone for the development and future commercialization of our CAR-T therapy,” said Amit Kumar, PhD, chairman and CEO of Anixa. “The INN process carefully reviews drug names to ensure they follow guidelines and avoid conflicts. With this approval, lira-cel now has a universally recognized and conflict-free name.”
How Lira-Cel Works
CAR T-cell therapies are an emerging cancer treatment. They use the patient’s immune cells, called T-cells, and equip them with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). This receptor acts like a molecular weapon, allowing the T-cells to target and attack cancer cells.
Lira-cel specifically targets the follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR). This molecule is found on normal ovarian cells, tumor blood vessels, and some cancer cells. Ovarian cancer occurs when cells in or near the ovaries grow uncontrollably.
While CAR T-cell therapy has been effective in treating some blood cancers, no CAR T therapy has yet been proven safe and effective for ovarian cancer in late-stage trials.
Current Clinical Trials
Lira-cel is now in a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT05316129). The trial tests safety and early signs of effectiveness when the therapy is given either intravenously (through the vein) or intraperitoneally (into the abdomen).
The study includes about 10 women with recurrent ovarian cancer who have already undergone at least one platinum-based chemotherapy and two other chemotherapy regimens. Participants are being recruited at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida.
“Looking ahead, we are focused on successfully completing our ongoing Phase 1 trial and starting the fifth dose cohort in the coming weeks,” Kumar added.
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