Huge cancer breakthrough as first NHS patient receives 'sci-fi' CAR-T therapy

The first NHS patient to receive CAR-T therapy (obe-cel) for adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia was treated at Manchester Royal Infirmary after NICE approval; he received two intravenous doses, ten days apart. The approval extends access to adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL and is expected to benefit about 50 patients a year.

A man with relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia became the first person on the NHS to receive CAR-T therapy for this type of adult leukaemia. Oscar Murphy, 28, was treated at Manchester Royal Infirmary after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved the therapy for adults with returned or treatment-resistant B-cell ALL. The treatment, called CAR-T or obe-cel, uses a patient’s own T cells that are genetically reprogrammed in a lab and returned as a so-called "living drug." CAR-T has been available on the NHS for other leukaemias and lymphomas and has now been extended to adults with B-cell ALL. Key facts: - The first administration to this patient began on January 2 and he had a second and final dose on Monday, with eligible patients receiving two intravenous doses ten days apart. - The therapy process reported includes removal of a patient’s T cells, modification in a lab in Stevenage using a harmless viral vector to add a targeting sequence, cultivation of millions of CAR-T cells, freezing and transport, and infusion back into the patient as a small volume of liquid. - Clinical-trial results reported a 77% remission rate after treatment, with about half of patients showing no signs of cancer after three and a half years, and an average extension of life by 15.6 months in the study cited. - The treatment will be offered to people aged 26 and over with B-cell ALL that has returned or not responded to previous treatment; it is estimated about 50 patients a year will be eligible. Patients from Wales and Northern Ireland will need to travel to England for treatment and it has not yet been approved in Scotland, as reported. - NHS figures and clinicians quoted in the report described the therapy as showing promise for an aggressive adult form of leukaemia; a haematologist said adult patients often live six to eight months without effective therapy and that CAR-T can offer years and potentially a cure. Summary: The extension of CAR-T (obe-cel) to adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL marks a change in NHS availability and has already been used for the first patient in Manchester following NICE approval. Availability is limited to certain specialist centres and is estimated to cover around 50 patients per year, with cross‑border travel required for some UK patients; wider uptake and longer-term outcomes will follow as the therapy is delivered.