Back to the drawing board for Vertex’s ‘cells plus device’ diabetes programme

Vertex Discontinues VX-264 Type 1 Diabetes Cell Therapy

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has halted development of VX-264, a type 1 diabetes cell therapy
The therapy failed to produce sufficient insulin levels in a Phase I/II clinical trial
VX-264 used an implantable device to deliver insulin-producing cells without immunosuppression
The device appeared to hinder the therapy's effectiveness
Vertex plans to conduct further analyses on explanted devices

Program Details:

Vertex's VX-264 was designed to treat type 1 diabetes using allogeneic human stem cell-derived islets encapsulated in a channel array device3 4. The goal was to shield the cells from the body's immune system, potentially eliminating the need for immunosuppressive medications4. However, a 90-day analysis revealed that C-peptide increases were not observed at levels necessary to deliver clinical benefits4.

Impact and Future Plans:

While the treatment was generally safe, Vertex has decided to discontinue further development of VX-2644. This setback represents a minor blow to the company's diabetes portfolio7. Despite this, Vertex remains committed to advancing its "cells plus device" program and will conduct additional analyses to better understand the results6 8.

Ongoing Diabetes Re