ICER final report on CAR-T therapies Kymriah and Yescarta

The US Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has released a Final Evidence Report and Report-at-a-Glance on Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel), from Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX) and Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel), from Kite Pharma/Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD), two CAR-T therapies for treatment of B-cell cancers.

The two therapies were compared to commonly used chemotherapy regimens for each indication. Evidence was not sufficient to distinguish between the two CAR-T therapies for treatment of NHL.

A majority of the panel further voted that tisagenlecleucel provides intermediate long-term value for money when treating B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). While the ICER’s assessment determined that the price of the therapy aligns with its clinical value, the panel noted that the significant uncertainty surrounding the long-term risks and benefits of the therapy precluded a high-value vote. After deliberating on the value of axicabtagene ciloleucel to treat B-cell subtypes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), the panel’s votes were split between low value and intermediate value, driven by similar concerns about long-term uncertainty.