New Process Might Help Make CAR-T Therapies Less Expensive

This summer, a drug called Tecartus (brexucabtagene autoleucel) became the third chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy approved by the FDA. CAR-T therapies, which use a patient’s genetically modified immune cells to target and fight cancer cells, are a cutting-edge type of treatment that comes with eye-popping price tags, ranging from $373,000 to $475,000. However, a new report from OptumRx highlights an “industry trend to watch” that could eventually provide some relief to payers worried about how to finance CAR-T treatments.

Currently, CAR-T therapies’ high cost is at least in part attributable to the “labor-intensive and time-consuming” manufacturing process for such drugs, stated the UnitedHealth Group-owned PBM’s Drug Pipeline Insights Report for the third quarter of 2020. Essentially, T-cells are taken from a patient, treated and multiplied in a lab, and reinfused into the same patient — a completely personalized process known as autologous therapy.

© 2023 MMIT
Leslie Small

Leslie Small

Leslie has been reporting and editing in various journalism roles for nearly a decade. Most recently, she was the senior editor of FierceHealthPayer, an e-newsletter covering the health insurance industry. A graduate of Penn State University, she previously served in editing roles at newspapers in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Colorado.

Related Posts

businessman-viewing-news-update-journalism-headline-on-a-laptop
November 22

News Briefs: CDC Makes More RSV Immunizations Available to Infants

READ MORE
dna-strand
November 22

Papers Delve Into Payment Options for Gene Therapies

READ MORE
pills
November 22

A Closer Look at the Medicare Part D Landscape

READ MORE

GAIN THERAPEUTIC AREA-SPECIFIC INTEL TO DRIVE ACCESS FOR YOUR BRAND

Sign up for publications to get unmatched business intelligence delivered to your inbox.

subscribe today