Bellicum Discontinues Phase 1/2 Trials and Initiates Evaluation of Strategic Alternatives

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLCM), today announced its decision to discontinue its ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trials evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of its GoCAR-T cell product candidates in combination with rimiducid in heavily pre-treated cancer patients. The trials for BPX-601 and BPX-603 are being discontinued following the Company’s assessment of the risk/benefit profile of BPX-601 in combination with rimiducid.

The most recent patient treated in the Phase 1/2 trial of BPX-601 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) experienced serious immune-mediated adverse events including Grade 4 cytokine release syndrome (CRS), the second dose-limiting toxicity observed in this cohort of dose escalation. The company paused enrollment in its clinical studies and conducted a thorough review of the risk/benefit observed to date. While clinically meaningful efficacy has been observed—including 5 of 9 mCRPC patients treated achieving PSA50 response, 4 of whom achieved PSA90 response—the Company believes it does not have the necessary resources to optimize either the clinical dose and schedule of BPX-601 cells and the activating agent rimiducid, or the design of the BPX-601 cell construct to achieve a favorable risk/benefit profile.

The Company is communicating with clinical trial sites and regulatory agencies regarding its decision to discontinue its trials, and an evaluation of the Company’s strategic alternatives is underway.

More information about Bellicum can be found at www.bellicum.com.

Source: Bellicum Pharmaceuticals

Investors:Robert H. UhlManaging DirectorICR [e-mail]