SHANGHAI, June 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — CARsgen Therapeutics Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 2171.HK), a company focused on developing innovative CAR T-cell therapies, announces that the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China has accepted the New Drug Application (NDA) for satricabtagene autoleucel (“satri-cel”, CT041) (an autologous CAR T-cell product candidate against protein Claudin18.2) for the treatment of Claudin18.2-positive advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (G/GEJA) in patients who have failed at least two prior lines of therapy. The NDA submission is mainly based on the results of an open-label, multicenter, randomized controlled confirmatory Phase II clinical trial (CT041-ST-01, NCT04581473) conducted in China. The data have been presented in The Lancet and at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.
In addition, the company is actively expanding satri-cel application in early-line treatment and perioperative treatment of cancer, including an ongoing Phase Ib registrational trial for pancreatic cancer adjuvant treatment and an ongoing investigator-initiated trial for consolidation treatment following adjuvant therapy in patients with resected G/GEJA.
Professor Lin Shen from Beijing Cancer Hospital, the principal investigator of the CT041-ST-01 clinical trial, said, “Gastric cancer is a malignancy with a substantial global disease burden and significant treatment challenges. For patients with advanced gastric cancer, in particular, existing therapeutic options and their efficacy remain severely limited, resulting in extremely poor survival outcomes. Within the current treatment landscape for gastric cancer, a growing number of patients have experienced failure with immunotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapies. Treatment choices and potential benefits become even more constrained in the third-line setting and beyond. Consequently, there exists a significant unmet clinical need for advanced gastric cancer patients after second-line treatment failure. The confirmatory randomized controlled clinical trial of satri-cel has clearly demonstrated that, compared with existing standard therapies, satri-cel offers significant advantages and clinical value in extending both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The trial results have garnered widespread international attention and recognition, providing a solid evidentiary foundation for satri-cel’s New Drug Application (NDA) submission. We look forward to the approval and market launch of satri-cel, which will offer a new treatment option for the broader population of gastric cancer patients.”
Dr. Zonghai Li, Founder, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Scientific Officer of CARsgen Therapeutics, said, “We are delighted to announce that the NDA for our self-developed Claudin18.2-targeted CAR T-cell product satri-cel has been accepted for review by China’s NMPA. This marks the world’s first CAR T-cell therapy product for solid tumors to reach the NDA stage—a major milestone for the CAR-T field. I extend my sincere gratitude to all clinical investigators, trial coordinators, and patients involved in this program. We are hopeful for its timely approval to provide gastric cancer patients with a new treatment option.”
About Satri-cel
Satri-cel is an autologous CAR T-cell product candidate against the protein Claudin18.2 that has the potential to be the first-in-class globally. Satri-cel targets the treatment of Claudin18.2-positive solid tumors with a primary focus on G/GEJA and pancreatic cancer (PC). Initiated trials include investigator-initiated trials (CT041-CG4006, NCT03874897), a confirmatory Phase II clinical trial for advanced G/GEJA in China (CT041-ST-01, NCT04581473), a Phase Ib registrational trial for PC adjuvant therapy in China (CT041-ST-05, NCT05911217), an investigator-initiated trial for satri-cel be used as consolidation treatment following adjuvant therapy in patients with resected G/GEJA (CT041-CG4010, NCT06857786), and a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial for advanced gastric or pancreatic adenocarcinoma in North America (CT041-ST-02, NCT04404595).
Satri-cel has been granted Priority Review by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of China’s NMPA for the treatment of Claudin18.2-positive advanced G/GEJA in patients who have failed at least two prior lines of therapy in May 2025. Satri-cel has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the CDE of China’s NMPA for the treatment of Claudin18.2-positive advanced G/GEJA in patients who have failed at least two prior lines of therapy in March 2025. Satri-cel was granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation by U.S. FDA for the treatment of advanced G/GEJA with Claudin18.2-positive tumors in January 2022. Satri-cel received Orphan Drug designation from the U.S. FDA for the treatment of G/GEJA in September 2020.
About CARsgen Therapeutics Holdings Limited
CARsgen is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on developing innovative CAR T-cell therapies to address the unmet clinical needs including but not limited to hematologic malignancies, solid tumors and autoimmune diseases. CARsgen has established end-to-end capabilities for CAR T-cell research and development covering target discovery, preclinical research, product clinical development, and commercial-scale production. CARsgen has developed novel in-house technologies and a product pipeline with global rights to address challenges faced by existing CAR T-cell therapies. Efforts include improving safety profile, enhancing the efficacy in treating solid tumors, and reducing treatment costs, etc. CARsgen’s mission is to be a global biopharmaceutical leader that provides innovative and differentiated cell therapies for patients worldwide and makes cancer and other diseases curable.
Forward-looking Statements
All statements in this press release that are not historical fact or that do not relate to present facts or current conditions are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements express the Group’s current views, projections, beliefs and expectations with respect to future events as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and factors beyond the Group’s control. As a result, they are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and actual events or results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements and the forward-looking events discussed in this press release might not occur. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those detailed under the heading “Principal Risks and Uncertainties” in our most recent annual report and interim report and other announcements and reports made available on our corporate website, https://www.carsgen.com. No representation or warranty is given as to the achievement or reasonableness of, and no reliance should be placed on, any projections, targets, estimates or forecasts contained in this press release.
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