Oppenheimer has reduced its rating for Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:FATE) from Outperform to Perform, citing a broader downgrade of the NK-cell therapy industry as the reason for the change.
According to the analysts, Fate Therapeutics is currently in a difficult position. While the company’s iPSC technology has been proven to be effective and its therapies, including FT596 for NHL and FT576 for multiple myeloma, have demonstrated activity, they appear to be less effective compared to approved CAR-T therapies that use a patient’s own cells.
Additionally, bispecific antibodies are becoming more popular and have an easier administration process. Although it is possible for Fate to improve its technology with optimizations like immune cloaking and persistence boosting, these improvements are still several years away.