Cytori Cell Therapy gains limited approval for osteoarthritis in Japan under new law

USA-based Cytori Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CYTX) today announced that the use of Cytori Cell Therapy was approved for clinical use on June 24, to treat knee osteoarthritis at the Tokyo Osteoarthritis Clinic under the Japanese ‘Act on the Safety of Regenerative Medicine’ that came into force on November 25, 2014.

The Tokyo Osteoarthritis Clinic will begin to treat knee osteoarthritis patients with Cytori Cell Therapy immediately. This approval is limited to facilities under the clinic’s umbrella but does not restrict the number of patients that can be treated. Such approvals are not reimbursed by the social healthcare system and patients will be responsible for the costs of treatment.

“Osteoarthritis is very common in Japan and the new legislation gives us an approved pathway to make novel regenerative therapies available to patients today,” said Dr Masayuki Yamakawa, chief executive of the Tokyo Osteoarthritis Clinic.