Hundreds could benefit from life saving blood cancer treatment recommended by NICE
People with a rare and aggressive blood cancer will benefit from a potentially life saving treatment, following NICE’s recommendation of a CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell) treatment developed by a British spinout company.
NICE has recommended obecabtagene autoleucel (obe-cel or Aucatzyl) for routine NHS use in England, offering new hope to over 150 people over the next the three years with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), who have limited treatment options.
Obe-cel, developed by Autolus, a University College London spinout company, is a next generation CAR-T treatment, personalised to the needs of each patient. It has the potential to increase people’s likelihood of going into remission and has lower toxicity, meaning more people could benefit from it compared to other treatments. It works by reprogramming a patient's own immune cells to recognise and destroy cancer cells.
Evidence from a clinical trial has shown high rates of remission in patients whose cancer has either returned (relapsed) after treatment or failed to respond to initial therapy (refractory). A study of nearly 100 people found that 77% of those who had at least one obe-cel infusion went into remission.
Evidence suggests obe-cel improves how long people live compared to other immunotherapies used at this stage of treatment. It also suggests that obe-cel works as well as tisagenlecleucel, the CAR-T therapy available for people aged 25 and under. Obe-cel is recommended as a treatment only for those aged 26 and over.
NICE's independent committee applied greater weighting to the benefits that obe-cel would offer over current treatments due to the severity of the condition.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to recommend this new treatment, which offers real hope to people living with this rare and aggressive blood cancer.
This drug has the potential to offer a more effective and less toxic alternative to standard treatments, with fewer side effects. This could potentially be a life-saving drug, which will make a huge difference to people's lives including spending less time in hospital.
This recommendation supports the government's Plan for Change commitment to build an NHS fit for the future by boosting access to innovative treatments that improve patient outcomes and showcases the UK’s world-leading life sciences sector.
Clinical trials for the treatment were conducted at a number of sites across the UK and part-funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with support from UCLH Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a rare blood cancer, affecting fewer than 5 in 10,000 people in the UK.
Health minister Ashley Dalton said: “This pioneering treatment is excellent news for patients and their families, demonstrating how the NHS is at the forefront of medical innovation.
“Our 10 Year Health Plan is about harnessing our world-leading life sciences sector to deliver treatments like this – innovative therapies that save lives.
By supporting new treatments with fewer side effects and shorter hospital stays, we're building an NHS fit for the future whilst cementing the UK's position as a global leader in medical research.
Dr Maria Koufali, Life Sciences Industry Director at NIHR, said: "The UK’s integrated research system is built to help life science companies move faster from promising science to robust evidence.
By connecting Autolus with NHS sites, specialist facilities, and experienced investigators, NIHR support is helping bring innovative cell therapies closer to patients.
Dr Claire Roddie, UCLH consultant haematologist and associate professor at the UCL Cancer Institute said: “I am delighted to hear of NICE's decision. Many more patients now stand to benefit from this CAR-T cell therapy on the NHS and we are still working to widen its application. Working on proving the safety and efficacy of this drug has brought together clinical and research teams from UCL and UCLH, with support from government and arms-length bodies like the NIHR and the BRC as well as the pharmaceutical industry.
The many people involved in this work can feel immensely proud of this achievement which will help save the lives of many more patients.
Science minister Lord Vallance said: "This remarkable treatment is a great example of UK health innovation in action. Ideas born in a London laboratory, brought to market by a British university spinout, and now being manufactured here in UK are set to save lives on the NHS.
Medical milestones like this show precisely why we're backing R&D with record funding, investing in research through the Cancer Healthcare Goals programme, and going further to support more growing businesses like these to succeed in the UK.