CMS Grants New Technology Add-On Payment (NTAP) Status for ZEVASKYN®
Rhea-AI Summary
Abeona Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ABEO) announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has granted New Technology Add-On Payment (NTAP) status for ZEVASKYN (prademagene zamikeracel) under the Fiscal Year 2027 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule. NTAP provides supplemental reimbursement above standard hospital payments for technologies that, according to CMS criteria, demonstrate substantial clinical improvement over existing alternatives.
ZEVASKYN is described as the first and only autologous cell sheet-based gene therapy to treat wounds in adult and pediatric patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). According to Abeona Therapeutics, ZEVASKYN has shown clinically meaningful wound healing and pain reduction after a single surgical application, and the company highlights NTAP as supporting Medicare patient access, treatment center economics, and reimbursement alongside its permanent J-code.
Positive
- CMS NTAP status granted for ZEVASKYN under FY 2027 IPPS
- NTAP provides supplemental CMS reimbursement above standard hospital payments for ZEVASKYN
- ZEVASKYN is the first and only autologous cell sheet-based gene therapy for RDEB wounds
- Single surgical application of ZEVASKYN showed clinically meaningful wound healing and pain reduction
Negative
- ZEVASKYN carries a potential cancer risk, requiring lifelong patient monitoring
- Serious allergic reactions, including rare anaphylaxis, can occur with ZEVASKYN treatment
- Use of human and animal materials in ZEVASKYN leaves a residual infection transmission risk
Market Reaction – ABEO
Following this news, ABEO has gained 3.83%, reflecting a moderate positive market reaction. The stock is currently trading at $6.63.
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Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21 | Treatment center activation | Positive | +0.8% | Cincinnati Children's became the seventh qualified ZEVASKYN treatment center. |
| Jul 01 | Employee inducement grants | Neutral | -2.1% | Five hires received restricted stock awards totaling up to 9,000 shares. |
| Jun 01 | Employee inducement grants | Neutral | -2.6% | Restricted stock awards covered up to 13,800 shares for new hires. |
| May 26 | Investor conference participation | Neutral | +0.9% | Management announced participation in two June healthcare investor conferences. |
| May 13 | First-quarter earnings | Positive | +0.5% | First-quarter net product revenue reached $8.7 million, driven by ZEVASKYN. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Positive operational and earnings updates were followed by positive 24-hour reactions, while both employee inducement-grant announcements were followed by negative reactions.
Key Terms
ntap regulatory
hospital inpatient prospective payment system regulatory
autologous medical
ex vivo medical
replication-incompetent retroviral vector medical
j-code regulatory
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
NTAP Designation Expected to Support Medicare Patient Access, Treatment Center Economics and Commercial Adoption
CLEVELAND, Aug. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ABEO), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing cell and gene therapies for serious diseases, today announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted New Technology Add-On Payment (NTAP) status for ZEVASKYN (prademagene zamikeracel) under the Fiscal Year 2027 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule.
NTAP status provides supplemental CMS reimbursement above standard hospital payments to support access to innovative therapies like ZEVASKYN. This additional funding is awarded to technologies that meet CMS criteria, including demonstrating substantial clinical improvement over existing alternatives.
"CMS's NTAP designation recognizes ZEVASKYN’s meaningful clinical benefit and optimizes treatment center economics," said Madhav Vasanthavada, Chief Commercial Officer of Abeona Therapeutics®. "NTAP status further strengthens our broad payor coverage by reinforcing reimbursement for Medicare patients, including younger individuals with qualifying disabilities, complementing our permanent J-code and strong commercial foundation to ensure seamless patient access."
About ZEVASKYN® (prademagene zamikeracel) gene-modified cellular sheets
ZEVASKYN is the first and only autologous cell sheet-based gene therapy for the treatment of wounds in adult and pediatric patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). RDEB is a severe skin disease caused by a defect in both copies of the COL7A1 gene, resulting in the inability to produce functional type VII collagen. Without functional type VII collagen and anchoring fibrils, the skin is fragile and blisters easily, leading to wounds that continually open and close, or fail to heal altogether. Patients often have large open wounds that can lead to serious life-threatening complications. ZEVASKYN incorporates the functional type VII collagen-producing COL7A1 gene into a patient’s own skin cells, ex vivo, using a replication-incompetent retroviral vector to produce functional type VII collagen in treated wounds. ZEVASKYN has demonstrated clinically meaningful wound healing and pain reduction with a single surgical application. For more information, visit www.ZEVASKYN.com.
Indication
ZEVASKYN® (prademagene zamikeracel) is an autologous cell sheet-based gene therapy indicated for the treatment of wounds in adult and pediatric patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB).
Important Safety Information
- Serious allergic reactions to ZEVASKYN can occur. Patients should get medical help right away if they experience symptoms like itching, swelling, hives, difficulty breathing, runny nose, watery eyes, or nausea. In rare cases, a severe reaction called anaphylaxis may happen.
- There is a potential risk that treatment with ZEVASKYN may contribute to the development of cancer because of how the therapy works. Patients should be monitored for the rest of their lives to check for any signs of cancer.
- ZEVASKYN is made using human and animal materials. Although these materials are tested before use, the risk of passing on infections cannot be eliminated.
- The most common side effects are pain from the procedure and itching.
This is not a complete list of side effects. Patients should call their care team for medical advice about side effects. Side effects may be reported to Abeona at 1-844-888-2236 or to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
See full Prescribing Information.
About Abeona Therapeutics®
Abeona Therapeutics Inc. is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing cell and gene therapies for serious diseases. Abeona’s ZEVASKYN® (prademagene zamikeracel) is the first and only autologous cell-based gene therapy for the treatment of wounds in adult and pediatric patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). The Company’s fully integrated cell and gene therapy cGMP manufacturing facility in Cleveland, Ohio, serves as the manufacturing site for ZEVASKYN commercial production. The Company’s development portfolio features ABO-701 (PSMA-SIR-T™), a potentially first-in-class engineered T-cell therapy targeting PSMA, engineered to overcome the core failures of cell therapies in solid tumors. For more information, visit www.abeonatherapeutics.com.
ZEVASKYN®, Abeona Assist®, Abeona Therapeutics®, and their related logos are trademarks of Abeona Therapeutics Inc.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and that involve risks and uncertainties. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by such terminology as “may,” “will,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “potential,” and similar words and expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances), which constitute and are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, our ability to successfully commercialize and market ZEVASKYN, including manufacturing sufficient batches of ZEVASKYN to meet demand; the therapeutic potential of ZEVASKYN; whether the unmet need and market opportunity for ZEVASKYN are consistent with the Company’s expectations; continued interest in our portfolio; our ability to submit an investigational new drug application for ABO-701 and enroll patients in clinical trials; the outcome of future meetings with and inspections by the FDA or other regulatory agencies, including those relating to preclinical programs and to the cGMP manufacturing of ZEVASKYN; the ability to achieve or obtain necessary regulatory approvals for our pre-clinical programs; our ability to execute on our key business priorities; the impact of any changes in the financial markets and global economic conditions, including those resulting from changes to U.S. or other countries’ trade policy, such as current or future tariffs; risks associated with data analysis and reporting; and other risks disclosed in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise these forward-looking statements or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by the federal securities laws.
Contacts: Investor and Media: Greg Gin VP, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Abeona Therapeutics ir@abeonatherapeutics.com Investor: Lee M. Stern Meru Advisors lstern@meruadvisors.com