A Delhi private hospital will provide a “made-in-India” CAR-T cell therapy for B-cell lymphomas and B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia to patients 15 and older who don’t react to chemotherapy or bone marrow transplant. The centers estimate the therapy will cost Rs 75–90 lakh.
Cancer patients 15 and older who don’t react to chemotherapy or bone marrow transplant will receive “made-in-India” CAR-T cell treatment for B-cell lymphomas and B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia at a Delhi private hospital.
Between November 2022 and December 2023, Apollo facilities outside Delhi successfully gave this drug to six patients—five adults and one kid. Four received indigenous therapy in clinical trials, including a Delhi local, and two received commercial CAR-T cells.
Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Ltd. president group, oncology and international Dinesh Madhavan told TOI that three of these patients were doing well one year after therapy. He noted, “At least 10 other patients are in the process of getting the indigenous CAR-T cell therapy,” now commercially available.
Indigenous or foreign, “the treatment will cost between Rs 75 lakh and Rs 90 lakh at the centres,” said Madhavan. He said the indigenous treatment has been approved for B-cell lymphomas and B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia for over 15 years, while the foreign one can treat more.
Chennai’s 32-year-old academic counsellor, who received CAR-T cell therapy in January 2023, told TOI that being away from her family for a month was stressful but she was OK today. “Now I can do my job along with household work,” said.
Doctors said CAR-T cell therapies, often called living medicines, remove cancer-fighting T cells using apheresis. These T-cells receive CARs using a harmless viral vector in a lab. An abnormally expressed protein on cancer cells is recognized by CARs. Their dose is multiplied and supplied directly to the patient.
Dr. Shisir Seth, Apollo Cancer Centre’s head haematologist, said these cases highlighted how this new medicine could give patients hope.
Dr. Amita Mahajan, a pediatric oncologist and haematologist, said the drug was given to children who had failed all other treatments. CAR-T cells are standard treatment for adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphomas, and myeloma. The NexCAR19 CAR-T cell is approved for leukemia and lymphomas, and others will follow.”The treatment proves this revolutionary method may treat challenging B-cell cancers.
Conclusion
A Delhi private hospital will provide a “made-in-India” CAR-T cell therapy for B-cell lymphomas and B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia in aged 15 and older patients who do not respond to chemotherapy or bone marrow transplant. Apheresis to remove T cells has been approved for over 15 years. The treatment is routine for adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphomas, and myeloma. The therapy is for those who failed conventional treatments. The therapy should cost Rs 75–Rs 90 lakh at centers.
