STAT Plus: Athersys pivots a stem cell therapy to Covid-19, but prior data offer little confidence
Athersys is confident its experimental stem cell therapy has the potential to help patients with the most severe type of lung injury associated with Covid-19. But investors who buy into the company’s optimism are ignoring significant risks about where they’re putting their dollars.
On Monday, Athersys said it would start a new Phase 3 clinical trial of its stem cell treatment, called MultiStem, after obtaining permission from the Food and Drug Administration. The randomized, placebo-controlled study will enroll Covid-19 patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS — a severe and potentially fatal consequence of the novel coronavirus.
