Novartis’ CAR-T cancer drug available on NHS to young people

Novartis’ cutting-edge CAR-T therapy Kymriah has officially become available on the NHS for young people with blood cancer. The chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) drug, also known as tisagenlecleucel, is available for young people with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia through the Cancer Drugs Fund. Kymriah has a list price of £282,000 but Novartis has agreed to supply it at a confidential discount. It will be offered to people under the age of 25 who have not responded to treatment or who have relapsed after stem cell transplant. Around 25-30 people will be eligible for the therapy each year, and the NHS is building a specialist service to give patients access. The therapy involves taking a person’s own immune cells and modifying them to fight cancer cells and has the potential to be a cure.