The US Food and Drug Administration has given its approval for the Yescarta gene therapy from Kite Pharma to be used on aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The treatment genetically alters a patient's immune cells, turning them into a “living drug”, to destroy the cancer. The immunotherapy, the second such treatment to get FDA backing, has led to long remissions in some cases, leading to the approval for patients who have already had two failed courses of chemotherapy. The cost of the treatment is $$11.9 billion for the single infusion required. Side effects include fever, blood pressure drops, neurological problems and lung congestion.
The US Food and Drug Administration has given its approval for the Yescarta gene therapy from Kite Pharma to be used on aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The treatment genetically alters a patient's immune cells, turning them into a “living drug”, to destroy the cancer. The immunotherapy, the second such treatment to get FDA backing, has led to long remissions in some cases, leading to the approval for patients who have already had two failed courses of chemotherapy. The cost of the treatment is $373,000 for the single infusion required. Side effects include fever, blood pressure drops, neurological problems and lung congestion.