Home / Health / Living Drug Delivers Sci-Fi Cancer Cure in England
Living Drug Delivers Sci-Fi Cancer Cure in England
14 Jan
Summary
- CAR T-cell therapy uses 100 million cells in a tiny dose.
- The innovative treatment is developed in the UK for patients.
- England offers this advanced therapy costing £372,000 per infusion.
A revolutionary CAR T-cell therapy, hailed as a landmark achievement in aggressive blood cancer treatment, is now accessible in England. This innovative 'living drug' involves infusing millions of the patient's own engineered T-cells, which then multiply and target cancer cells within the body. Oscar, one of the first patients, expressed amazement at the potent effectiveness of such a small, concentrated dose.
The CAR-T therapy was developed by Autolus, a UK-based spin-out from University College London, marking a significant advancement in domestic medical research. Previously, patients' cells required processing in US laboratories. The treatment's list price is £372,000 per infusion, though the NHS benefits from a confidential discount.
This therapy will be available to around 50 patients annually over the age of 26 with B-cell ALL that has proven resistant to other treatments. While initially offered in centers across England, patients from Wales and Northern Ireland will need to travel for treatment. Experts believe this therapy could eventually supersede stem cell transplantation as a first-line approach.
