ViGenCell, an immune cell therapy developer, said the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has granted compassionate use approval for VT-Tri, an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment.

Compassionate use permits the use of investigational drugs for treating patients with severe and life-threatening illnesses or those without any authorized alternative treatment.

The U.S. and Europe also operate similar systems -- the Expanded Access Program in the U.S. and Compassionate Use  in Europe.

“AML is an intractable disease that frequently relapses and shows poor response to existing treatments,” Vigencell CEO Kim Tai-gyu said. “We will continue to conduct clinical research on VT-Tri to provide new treatment options to patients and their families suffering from AML.”

VT-Tri is an antigen-specific T cell treatment currently in phase 1 clinical trial, for the treatment of AML patients.

Unlike in chronic myeloid leukemia, cancer gene targets are uncertain in AML.

Although intensive chemotherapy is used for AML treatment, it is very difficult to treat the elderly and patients with underlying diseases due to strong toxic side effects.

The number of patients suffering from AML increases with age, and in elderly patients over 65 years of age, the five-year survival rate is less than 20 percent.