Cancer wonder drug greenlit
CHILDREN and young adults with an aggressive type of leukaemia will now be able to access a “game-changing” drug from the NHS.
Kymriah, a form of CAR-T therapy, harnesses T cells – natural defences in patients’ immune systems – to seek out and destroy blood cancer cells.
Around 40 patients aged 25 and under, with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) which has relapsed or stopped responding to treatment, are expected to be eligible for prescriptions of the drug in England.
It has already been available for some patients through the NHS Cancer Drugs Fund since December 2018.
Among them is 28-yearold Sophie Mulligan from Liverpool, who said:
“Without this drug, I faced very limited options and had a relatively poor prognosis. For my blood cancer, it was an entirely game-changing, life-altering option – and it also had the benefit that a low dose meant that I didn’t have to lose my hair, like some intensive chemotherapy options.” Kymriah got the green light from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence yesterday. It has a list price of £282,000 per infusion but maker Novartis agreed to a confidential discount. Rincy George of Blood Cancer UK welcomed the move, saying: “We are beginning to see CAR-T therapies, one of the most promising breakthroughs in blood cancer treatment in the past decade, come on to the NHS. Kymriah offers hope to children and young adults living with B-ALL, and Nice approving it for routine use on the NHS in England and Wales gives patients more clarity about treatment options.”