Novartis’ CAR T therapy Kymriah to become available on the NHS
pharmafile | September 5, 2018 | News story | Research and Development | CAR T, CAR-T, Gilead, Kymriah, NHS, Novartis
Novartis’ Kymriah is set to become the first CAR T therapy to become available on the NHS after it was revealed that the cancer treatment will be offered to children and young adults up to the age of 25 years old with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) that is refractory, in relapse post-transplant or in second or later relapse.
While both Gilead and Novartis’ CAR T therapies were awarded marketing authorisation in the European Union just last week, NICE were quick to reject Gilead’s CAR T therapy Yescarta on the grounds that it was too expensive.
However Novartis’ one time cancer treatment is now set to become available through the UK’s national healthcare system.
Mari Scheiffele, Novartis Oncology General Manager, UK & Ireland, said: “This decision to make our revolutionary CAR-T therapy, Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) available so soon after being licensed is the result of our close collaboration with NHS England and NICE, with flexibility shown by all parties to ensure young patients can access this life-saving treatment as quickly as possible.”
The custom made treatment, which uses an individual’s own immune cells to combat cancer, has the potential to extend survival and significantly improve quality of life for children and young adults whose prognosis is poor.
However the cancer therapy comes with a high price tag, costing $475,000 in the United States. Meanwhile the list price for Gilead’s alternative Yescarta is just $373,000 in the US. The price the NHS will pay for Kymriah however is just $363,000 (£282,000).
Louis Goss
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