NICE recommends new CAR T cell therapy to treat mantle cell lymphoma

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that a new CAR-T cell therapy be made available to National Health Service (NHS) patients through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

The personalized treatment, called Tecartus or autologous CD3 + transduced anti-CD19, is produced by Kite. NHS clinicians in England may consider treating some patients with a form of lymphoma, a cancer that attacks the immune system.

Tecartus is a CAR T cell therapy that uses a patient’s white blood cells which are then reconfigured in a lab so they can recognize and attack cancer cells before they are injected back into the patient. The new guidelines from NICE indicate that treatment may be considered for people with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma, who must have previously had a drug called Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, such as ‘ibrutinib.

NICE has entered into a managed access agreement with manufacturer Kite – a Gilead company – so that more data can be collected while patients can access treatment.

Meindert Boysen, Deputy CEO and Director of the Center for Health Technology Assessment at NICE, said: “We are pleased to be able to recommend another breakthrough CAR T cell therapy, this time for adults with cell lymphoma. of the mantle, which represents a step forward for personalized medicine. Clinicians will be able to consider this innovative therapy for their patients due to the joint work between NICE, NHS England and NHS Improvement and the company. CAR-T cell therapy is expensive. Treatment is specific to each individual and could be a potential cure for some, even if it is only at the beginning. Our recommendation for Tecartus, on the Cancer Drugs Fund, means that people can benefit as more data is collected.

A confidential discount for the use of therapy has been accepted by NHS England and Kite. According to NICE, around 100 patients per year could be treated with this CAR-T cell therapy.