Myeloma Australia on the front line of advocating for CAR-T cell therapy funding

Pharma News: Myeloma Australia is urging Australians impacted by multiple myeloma to make their voices heard as the government considers the funding of Janssen’s CAR-T cell therapy Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Cilta-cel).

Cilta-cel has been approved for use in the US for people with relapsed refractory myeloma who have exhausted existing therapies. Approval is based on the CARTITUDE-1 clinical trial which found that the therapy was effective in those who had progressed on existing therapies.

Currently, it is only available in Australia through clinical trials.

The Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) is considering Janssen’s funding application for CAR-T cell therapy.

Cilta-cel will address a high unmet clinical need for effective therapies in patients with heavily pre-treated (>3 prior lines) and refractory multiple myeloma where few treatment options remain. Patients would be limited to one successful CAR-T infusion per lifetime, consistent with other CAR-T
therapies.

Other CAR-T therapies have already been approved by the TGA and MSAC for use in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma (PMBCL). These therapies target CD-19.

In accordance with CAR-Ts that have been previously evaluated and are currently funded (Gilead’s Yescarta and Novartis’ Kymriah), Cilta-cel will be funded through the National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA), not the MBS, which includes funding from both the Commonwealth Government (50%) and the governments of the relevant states and territories (50%).

Myeloma Australia and its Medical Scientific Advisory Group have provided feedback to the government committee and are seeking the voices of Australians impacted by multiple myeloma through the consultation survey by 10 June 2022.