Green light for groundbreaking personalised cancer therapy that reprogrammes immune system
We've recommended an innovative one-off cell therapy that could give hundreds of lymphoma patients precious extra time with loved ones.
Final guidance published today recommends lisocabtagene maraleucel (also called liso-cel or Breyanzi and made by Bristol Myers Squibb) as an option for treating people with large B-cell lymphoma when their cancer has either not responded to initial treatment or returned within 12 months.
Just under 600 people per year in England could benefit from this new therapy, marking a significant advance in lymphoma care and representing our first recommendation of this type of treatment.
For people whose lymphoma has not responded to standard treatments, this innovative therapy could have a significant positive impact on their lives.
For people living with this aggressive blood cancer, and their families, today's announcement offers real hope. These aren't just statistics – each person who will benefit from this treatment is someone's parent, child, partner or friend.
This first-of-its-kind treatment works by reprogramming a patient's own immune cells to fight their cancer. Clinical trials have shown the treatment to be particularly beneficial for those whose cancer has either not responded to initial treatment or returned within 12 months.
The therapy involves collecting a patient's own immune cells (T-cells) which are then modified in a laboratory to specifically target and destroy cancer cells. These engineered cells are reinfused as a single treatment, with the potential to provide long-term benefits.
Patient experts from Blood Cancer UK and Lymphoma Action have welcomed the decision. They highlighted that the treatment could be given in an outpatient setting, minimising costly hospital stays and potentially improving quality of life for patients and their families.
Today's positive recommendation follows consultation after an initial draft negative recommendation in October 2024. The decision was reversed after Bristol Myers Squibb offered an improved commercial arrangement to the NHS on the £297,000 list price per individual treatment.
The treatment will be available through routine commissioning, with NHS England required to make funding available within 90 days. In the interim, funding will be available from the Cancer Drugs Fund.