Stem cell transplants that are a standard treatment for certain blood cancers are out of reach for many patients. The procedure requires cells from a matched donor, but a match isn’t always available. A new cell therapy derived from umbilical cord blood now has European Commission approval , a regulatory decision that provides eligible patients with another option and gives the therapy’s developer, startup ExCellThera, its first commercial product.

The Wednesday regulatory decision covers the treatment of adults with hematological malignancies, including leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes, that require an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. To be eligible for this therapy, suitable donor cells must not be available to patients. The new product of Montreal-based ExCellThe

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