Therakos, Inc, a pioneer in photopheresis therapy for more than 20 years, announced that Health Canada has cleared the Therakos Cellex Photopheresis System for the palliative (reducing the severity of symptoms) treatment of the skin manifestations (appearance) of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) that are unresponsive to other forms of treatment. The Therakos Cellex Photopheresis System is an easy-to-use, integrated system that uses extracorporeal (outside the body) photopheresis, an innovative cellular therapy, to relieve the symptoms of CTCL.

CTCL is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a condition in which lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, become cancerous and affect the skin. According to Dr John Klassen, director of the Apheresis Programme for Southern Alberta at Foothills Medical Centre, "The skin lesions associated with CTCL can cause painful breaks in the skin that do not heal and can become infected. These patients can also suffer from severe and untreatable itching. I have had success in treating these difficult cases with extracorporeal photopheresis."

The new Therakos Cellex Photopheresis System features several improvements designed to enhance the patient treatment experience, such as shorter treatment times and reduced extracorporeal blood volume. The benefits of reduced risk of infection and cross-contamination are maintained in the Therakos Cellex Photopheresis System from the current Therakos Uvar Xts Photopheresis System. Specific features of the new system include an automated, closed system design that provides users the ability to switch between double and single needle treatment, if necessary. The system also utilizes a new, patented separation technology to separate white cells from whole blood.

Therakos, Inc currently markets the world's only approved integrated systems for extracorporeal photopheresis. "The new features of the Therakos Cellex Photopheresis System were designed specifically to create a better treatment experience for both patients and the health care professionals administering the therapy," stated Michael Yang, general manager of Therakos, Inc. "This new system is an example of a medical device and a drug therapy combining in a unique and innovative way to deliver favorable outcomes for patients."

ECP is a therapeutic procedure performed outside the body using the Therakos Cellex Photopheresis System to withdraw a volume of whole blood that is then centrifuged to separate the white blood cells from the red blood cells and plasma.

Therakos, a Johnson & Johnson company, has been a pioneer for more than 20 years in immune cell therapies.