The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, announced on Tuesday the novel life-saving cancera disease where abnormal cells split without control and spread to other nearby body tissue and/or organs treatment CAR-T therapy will be used for adult patients and manufactured in Australia.
Rare Cancers Australia (RCA) congratulates the Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, following the announcement on the 28th January that public funding of Australia’s first chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy will include treatment of eligible adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphomacancers of the lymphatic system (DLBCL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy.
The announcement comes a year after reimbursement of CAR-T was granted for the first time for a much smaller patient population – young people with relapsed or refractory acutenew, recent, comes with an urgent or significant sense, is sudden, sharp lymphoblastic leukaemiacancer of blood and/or blood forming tissues (ALL).
Expanded access of CAR-T treatment brings new hope for adult patients who have been desperately trying to raise funds to gain access to this breakthrough treatment overseas.
“This is a vital step that will help families, carers and people with life-threatening cancers who are too sick to travel to the USA for treatment, and cannot afford $500,000 to pay for local treatment in Australia themselves”, said Rare Cancers Australia Chief Executive Richard Vines.
CAR-T is a new, innovative treatment that is very different from conventional cancer treatments. It uses the patient’s own bloodthe red bodily fluid that transports oxygen and other nutrients around the body as a source to extract cancer-fighting immune cellsthe basic structural and functional unit of all living things. These cells are “super-charged”, and then returned to the patient. The result is an enhanced immune system that can recognise and attack the cancer cells in the patient.
“It doesn’t work on every patient, but when it does the results are extraordinary,” said Richard Vines.
What is even more extraordinary for patients eligible for CAR-T treatment, is that their cells won’t need to be sent overseas to become “supercharged”, and then sent back to Australia for administration.
Novartis announced that Cell Therapies would manufacture the CAR-T therapy at their production facility within the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Cell Therapies will supply patients with CAR-T in Australia and across the world, putting Australia on the map as a CAR-T manufacturing hub of excellence.
The CAR-T therapy can only be accessed at approved treatment sites – Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victoria, and The Royal Children’s Hospital, Victoria.
“Time is of the essence now to ensure CAR-T treatment is made available in approved treatment sites throughout Australia as quickly as possible for patients and their families, who urgently need this life-saving treatment.”
“We would also like to acknowledge the outstanding work undertaken by Novartis and Cell Therapies in paving the way for local manufacturing and access to CAR-T for children, young adults and now adult patients.
The revolutionary manufacturing capabilities at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre will position Australia as one of the few countries in the world able to manufacture CAR-T locally, as well as providing CAR-T overseas,” adds Richard Vines.