• The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has issued market authorisation to CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T) cell therapy paving the way for its commercial launch of indigenous NexCAR19 in the country.
• ImmunoACT – an IIT Bombay incubated company and Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) collaborated to invent indigenous CAR-T Cell Therapy.
• It can prove to be a breakthrough treatment for treating relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-cell lymphomas and leukaemia.
• The NexCAR19 will be ₹30-40 lakh per patient, which is 1/10th of the cost abroad.
• The therapy would be available in around 20 government and private hospitals across most major cities.
• It has an approximate 70% overall response rate (ORR).
• This therapy is intended for patients with the CD19 marker in B cells, a protein used to diagnose cancers stemming from B cells, such as B cell lymphomas, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

About CAR-T Cell Therapy

T cells are immune cells that attack infection causing pathogens (viruses, bacteria etc.) and harmful cells (cancer cells).

• It is a type of cancer immunotherapy treatment that uses a patient’s own immune cells called T cells that are genetically altered in a laboratory to enable them to locate and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
• Currently, this therapy is offered as a second-line treatment for late-stage leukaemia and lymphoma when patients do not respond to conventional treatments like chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants or experience relapsed cancer.
• While it has demonstrated substantial effectiveness, particularly in blood cancers and lymphomas, ongoing research seeks to determine its role in treating solid tumours and autoimmune diseases such as lupus and multiple sclerosis.