Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR), a biotechnology company developing transformative cell and exosome-based therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases, today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted both Orphan Drug and Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) designations to its lead asset, deramiocel, for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

The Orphan Drug designation provides Capricor with several benefits that support the development of deramiocel in Europe, including market exclusivity for 10 years if approval is granted and substantially reduced regulatory fees. The ATMP designation provides substantial regulatory support to assist in the development of cell-based therapies. The additional support can potentially reduce time to market, streamline development, and open up access to critical resources, making it an invaluable tool for companies working on innovative therapies.