Prochymal Stem Cell therapy predicted $235 million market by 2017

Prochymal, made from adult stem cells, is currently in phase III clinical trials for treatment of Crohn's disease. According to a company press release there has been some very promising results from the completed phase II trials.

Decision Resources has written a special report entitled Cellular Therapies focusing on the cellular therapies drug market in the next 10 years.  By cellular therapies they mean new stem cell treatments and other types of cell based treatments for diseases such as graft vs. host disease, Crohn's disease, and prostate cancer.

In the report they predict that by 2017 the Osiris/Genzyme's product Prochymal will have a $235 million market.  Here is a quote from the press release on The Earth Times.

Another cellular therapy that will launch in the near-term, Osiris/Genzyme's Prochymal, will garner sales of $235 million in 2017 for the treatment of Crohn's disease, although its initial regulatory approval will be for graft-versus-host disease in 2010 in the United States and in 2011 in Europe.

I checked out the Osiris Therapeutics web site and found a company press release describing some promising results reported from the completed Phase II trials of Prochymal.

Trial Highlights

-- With relatively low doses and a short treatment course, every patient evaluated had a reduction in disease severity by day 28.

-- In patients who failed available drugs for Crohn's Disease, there was a statistically significant reduction in the mean CDAI score of 105 points by day 28.

-- Improvement was rapid with an average CDAI reduction of 62 points by day 7.

-- There appeared to be a positive correlation between dose and response, with patients receiving

the high dose achieving a greater response (average CDAI reduction of 137 vs. 65).

-- The treatment was well tolerated and there were no severe adverse events attributed to PROCHYMAL.

Of course all of us with Crohn's disease are watching very closely to see the results and possible risks) of these new treatments. Since Remicade and Humira seem to have a possibility of increasing the risk of cancer for patients, and also both have a possibility of of patient developing a sensitivity to the drug, I would like to know that there is another choice available for people who have exhausted other treatments.