Second Cellectis CAR-T Therapy On Clinical Hold, Dosing Could Be Issue

The US Food and Drug Administration put the Phase I MELANI-01 clinical trial for Cellectis SA’s allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy UCARTCS1A on clinical hold after a multiple myeloma patient treated with the CS1-targeting treatment died from cardiac arrest. This is the second time that one of the company’s wholly owned CAR-T candidates has been subject to a clinical hold after the death of a patient.

Cellectis announced the setback after the US stock market closed on 6 July, and the company’s share price fell 14.3% to $16.32 on 7 July despite the fact that clinical trials for its other allogeneic CAR-T candidates – including programs partnered with Servier and Allogene Therapeutics Inc. – were not impacted by the clinical hold