Abeona Becomes First Company to Secure Two RMATs

Abeona Therapeutics announced the U.S. FDA granted a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation to ABO-102, the company’s AAV-mediated gene therapy for the treatment of Sanfilippo syndrome Type A (MPS IIIA), a rare autosomal-recessive lysosomal storage disease.

It was the 16th RMAT designation awarded by the FDA and a landmark achievement in that it makes Abeona the first company to achieve two RMAT designations.

Headquartered in Dallas, TX, Abeona (NASDAQ: ABEO) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel cell and gene therapies for life-threatening rare genetic diseases. Abeona’s first RMAT designation was for its EB-101 gene therapy for Epidermolysis Bullosa in January 2018.

FDA RMAT Approvals

An RMAT designation makes products “eligible for the same actions to expedite the development and review of a marketing application that are available to drugs that receive breakthrough therapy designation – including increased meeting opportunities, early interactions to discuss any potential surrogate or intermediate endpoints and the potential to support accelerated approval.” The RMAT designation was introduced by Congress when it included several provisions related to cell and gene therapies in the 21st Century Cures Act.

In 2017, the following twelve products were awarded a RMAT designation. Several more RMAT designations have been awarded in 2018.

A full list of RMAT designations can be viewed here.