Mesoblast Achieves Target of 300 Treated Patients in Pivotal Phase 3 Trial for Chronic Low Back Pain

Mesoblast Limited (Nasdaq:MESO; ASX:MSB), global leader in allogeneic cellular medicines for inflammatory diseases, today announced that it has achieved its target of at least 300 patients treated in the MSB-DR004 pivotal Phase 3 randomized controlled trial of rexlemestrocel-L for chronic low back pain (CLBP) associated with degenerative disc disease. The trial aims to confirm the durable pain reduction from a single intra-discal injection of rexlemestrocel-L seen in the earlier MSB-DR003 trial. Silviu Itescu, Chief Executive of Mesoblast, said: “Completing our target of treating at least 300 patients in the placebo-controlled pivotal back pain trial ensures the trial is well powered for success. Commercial manufacturing is proceeding in parallel so that we can file for approval as soon as possible after trial results readout.” CLBP caused by inflammation and degenerative disc disease is a serious condition with a prevalence of over 7 million people in the U.S. alone. The indication is a potential blockbuster for Mesoblast with potential peak year revenue of >US$10 billion with single digit market penetration. The trial's primary endpoint is powered to show a significant difference in reduction of low back pain at 12 months between rexlemestrocel-L and sham controls. Secondary endpoints include improvements in function, quality of life, and cessation of pain medication, including opioids. Rexlemestrocel-L has Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of CLBP due to degenerative disc disease providing eligibility for priority review once the Biologics License Application (BLA) has been fi...