CAR T Vision Coalition Launches with Ambitious Goal to Double Patients Treated with the Curative Potential of CAR T-cell Therapy by 2030
CHICAGO – Today an international coalition announces the launch of CAR T Vision to unite stakeholders around the shared ambition that every eligible patient should have the opportunity for cure with CAR T-cell therapy. By 2030, the aim is to double the proportion of eligible patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy. As outlined in the new roadmap report, the coalition will work to address access challenges and drive meaningful change in the CAR T-cell therapy healthcare ecosystem with a focus on three critical priorities: increasing awareness and understanding of CAR T-cell therapy; expanding resources and capacity to deliver CAR T-cell therapy; and developing sustainable and innovative financing approaches to manage the costs of treatment and care.
The CAR T Vision is for every eligible patient to have the opportunity for cure with CAR T-cell therapy. By 2030, the aim is to double the proportion of eligible patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy.
“Despite CAR T-cell therapy being available in the United States for nearly seven years in large B-cell lymphoma, only approximately two out of 10 eligible patients with some advanced blood cancers ever receive CAR T-cell therapy,” said Miguel Perales, MD, Chief, Adult Bone Marrow Transplantation Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK); Past President, American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT); and Co-Chair, CAR T Vision Steering Committee. “When it comes to treating these potentially deadly cancers, every minute counts. That is why we established CAR T Vision with recommendations for interventions that, when adopted and scaled, will help many more eligible patients get the opportunity for cure within the next five years.”
The roadmap report, developed by an independent Steering Committee comprised of leadership from top North American and European patient advocacy groups, medical society organizations, academic and community treatment centers, health technology assessment, policy, and other subject matter experts, provides the foundations for advocacy and action by local stakeholders to address the specific access challenges patients face in different geographies. Building on the report, expert Working Groups will be established to translate the Vision into concrete, measurable actions, including specific recommendations and a measurement framework to track progress.
“Limited awareness of CAR T-cell therapy, low referrals, hospital capacity challenges, and funding and reimbursement are among the barriers that either prevent people from accessing CAR T-cell therapy altogether or cause delays that advance a patient’s cancer beyond the point of treatment eligibility. In short, these barriers cost lives,” said Anna Sureda, MD, PhD, Clinical Hematologist, Professor and Cell Therapy Researcher; and Co-Chair, CAR T Vision Steering Committee. “We call on every stakeholder and organization with the ability to help shape better patient outcomes—policymakers, health system leaders, payors, healthcare providers, patient advocates, and industry—to join the growing coalition of Vision endorsers and help ensure every eligible patient has the opportunity for cure with CAR T-cell therapy.”
Making CAR T Vision a reality will require the coming together of a complex ecosystem of partners, each with their own unique role to play. To learn more about CAR T Vision, review the roadmap report and join the coalition, visit www.CARTVision.com.
About CAR T-cell therapy and CAR T Vision
CAR T-cell therapy involves engineering a person’s own immune cells to target and treat cancer and is currently approved for certain types of aggressive blood cancers, enabling some patients to remain cancer free for more than five years.4,5,6,7
The CAR T Vision is for every eligible patient to have the opportunity for cure with CAR T-cell therapy. By 2030, the aim is to double the proportion of eligible patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy. The CAR T Vision Steering Committee includes leadership from top North American and European patient advocacy groups, medical society organizations, academic and community treatment centers, health technology assessment, policy, and other subject matter experts. The new roadmap report details the challenges CAR T Vision aims to resolve through multidisciplinary collaboration and the urgent actions needed to make the Vision a reality. The report and initial activities of the CAR T Vision Steering Committee have been funded by Gilead Sciences and Kite, as the inaugural supporter of CAR T Vision. Report content has been reviewed by Gilead Sciences and Kite. However, the Steering Committee has editorial control of the CAR T Vision and its outputs, including the report. Dr. Perales has financial interests related to Gilead Sciences and Kite. To learn more about CAR T Vision, review the report and join the growing coalition of endorsers, visit www.CARTVision.com.
1 Kaltwasser J. Investigators set sights on optimizing CAR T-cell therapy in lymphoma. OncLive. 2022. Available online: https://www.onclive.com/view/investigators-set-sights-on-optimizing-car-t-cell-therapy-in-lymphoma
2 Chuhara, D, Liao, L, et al. Real-world experience of CAR T-cell therapy in older patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Blood. 2023, September 21. https://ashpublications.org/blood/article/142/12/1047/496474/Real-world-experience-of-CAR-T-cell-therapy-in
3 Canales Albendea MÁ, Canonico PL, Cartron G, et al. Comparative analysis of CAR T-cell therapy access for DLBCL patients: associated challenges and solutions in the four largest EU countries. Front Med (Lausanne). 2023;10:1128295. Published 2023 May 30. doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1128295
4 Abramson J, Palomba ML, Gordon LI, et al. Five-Year Survival of Patients (pts) from Transcend NHL 001 (TRANSCEND) Supports Curative Potential of Lisocabtagene Maraleucel (liso-cel) in Relapsed or Refractory (R/R) Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL). Blood. 2024;144(1):3125. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2024-200204.
5 Neelapu SS, Jacobson CA, Ghobadi A, et al. Five-year follow-up of ZUMA-1 supports the curative potential of axicabtagene ciloleucel in refractory large B-cell lymphoma. Blood. 2023 May 11;141(19):2307-2315. doi: 10.1182/blood.2022018893. PMID: 36821768; PMCID: PMC10646788.
6 Rives S, Maude S, Hiramatsu H et al. S112: TISAGENLECLEUCEL IN PEDIATRIC AND YOUNG ADULT PATIENTS (PTS) WITH RELAPSED/REFRACTORY (R/R) B-CELL ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA (B-ALL): FINAL ANALYSES FROM THE ELIANA STUDY. HemaSphere 6():p 13-14, June 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/01.HS9.0000843344.19780.98
7 Xu J, Wang BY, Yu SH, et al. Long-term remission and survival in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma after treatment with LCAR-B38M CAR T cells: 5-year follow-up of the LEGEND-2 trial. J Hematol Oncol. 2024 Apr 24;17(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s13045-024-01530-z. PMID: 38659046; PMCID: PMC11040812.
