Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee votes 8-2 that data support efficacy of the product, which could be the first mesenchymal stem cell product to clear the agency. FDA's concerns include reliance on a pivotal Phase III single-arm study.

In advisory committee briefing documents, agency also says critical quality attributes of the graft-versus-host disease treatment do not show a relationship with clinical potency and may not ensure control of clinical effectiveness of individual drug product lots.

Agency has created a centralized team to help review divisions with virtual advisory committee preparations and is trying to notify sponsors earlier in the review process about the need for a panel; sponsors cite importance of having a back channel of communications so team members can communicate with each other while an AdComm is underway.

Lawyer asks US FDA to require another trial before licensing Mesoblast’s stem cell therapy for children with SR-aGVHD; Incyte’s Jakafi is only product approved for the indication.