On April 3, 2020, Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CAPR) a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of first-in-class biological therapeutics for the treatment or prevention of serious diseases, announced it is providing CAP-1002, its novel cell therapy to patients with advanced COVID-19 under the compassionate use pathway. Two patients were treated in the previous week at a leading healthcare center in Los Angeles, California with additional patients planned in the coming weeks. Infusions of CAP-1002 were administered safely and patients are currently clinically stable. “Physicians leading the fight against COVID-19 patients approached Capricor to discuss the use of CAP-1002 due to its strong immunomodulatory capabilities. They believe that the use of CAP-1002 for the treatment or attenuation of ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) pneumonia in COVID-19 patients is based on solid scientific rationale and pre-clinical data. We know from previously published pre-clinical data that CAP-1002 mitigates the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines, as well as macrophage activation in a number of models of inflammation, including sepsis and autoimmune diseases. It is believed that COVID-19-induced ARDS pneumonia is a response to an exaggerated and sustained cytokine storm. As such, we are hopeful that CAP-1002 will be of value to patients with respect to the treatment of COVID-19,” said Linda Marbán, PhD, Capricor’s President and Chief Executive Officer. The compassionate use act allows the FDA to immediately collect information on experimental treatments and then make the appropriate decisions about the safety and efficacy of those treatments.Login Or Register To Read Full Story