In 2019, I held in my hands and had the privilege of working on a life-saving medication, tab-cel, which is used to treat a particularly aggressive and rare form of cancer known as PTLD. I was deeply involved in the tech transfer process for this product, dedicating approximately 2.5 years of my professional journey to it. Tab-cel was just one of the two remarkable pipeline products being developed at Atara Biotherapeutics.
Fast forward to today, and we've witnessed that the Phase II results for the second product, designed to address Multiple Sclerosis, have shown that it does not work?! As a result, the company's stock took a sharp downward turn. There are a few key points I'd like to share:
1) It's important to acknowledge that regulatory agencies such as the FDA, and EMA play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety and efficacy of medications. In this instance, the second product had no significant safety concerns, but it is being discontinued because it doesn't deliver the intended therapeutic benefits. This highlights the RIGOROUS standards in place to safeguard patients.
2) Many of us who work in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries are motivated by a deep sense of purpose, rather than monetary gains. While financial compensation is essential, our primary drive stems from the desire to make a positive impact on people's lives.
3) It's worth noting that the journey to bring innovative drugs to market often involves substantial financial investment. In Atara's case, nearly $1 billion USD (that's one thousand million dollars) to support research and development efforts.
Despite the setbacks, I hope that Atarians will remain committed the mission to pursue innovative solutions to improve healthcare. #Biotech #celltherapy #immunotherapy
