Japan has approved innovative stem-cell treatments for Parkinson’s disease and severe heart failure, according to manufacturers and media reports. These therapies are expected to be available to patients within months.
The pharmaceutical company Sumitomo Pharma announced that it received approval for Amchepry, a treatment that involves transplanting stem cells into the brain of Parkinson’s patients. Additionally, Japan’s health ministry approved ReHeart, a product developed by medical startup Cuorips. This treatment uses heart muscle sheets to promote the formation of new blood vessels and improve heart function.
Reports suggest these treatments could be on the market as early as this summer, making them the first commercially available medical products using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which can become any type of cell in the body.
Shinya Yamanaka, a Japanese scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 2012, pioneered research into iPS cells. The health minister, Kenichiro Ueno, expressed hope that these advances would benefit patients not just in Japan, but around the globe. He assured that all necessary steps would be quickly taken to ensure patient access.
Sumitomo Pharma stated it received “conditional and time-limited approval” for Amchepry, allowing for faster patient access compared to ordinary clinical trials. Initial studies conducted at Kyoto University indicated the treatment was safe and showed symptom improvements. Seven patients aged 50 to 69 received either five million or ten million cells implanted in their brains and were monitored for two years, with four reporting better symptoms.
Parkinson’s disease affects approximately 10 million people worldwide and currently available therapies only manage symptoms without stopping disease progression.
