UK Kymriah funding confirmed in pediatric ALL

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) will pay for eligible English children and young people with pediatric acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL) to be treated with Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) CAR-T therapy Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel).

NHS funding has been confirmed with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) publication of a Final Appraisal Document recommending that this one-time therapy, which is specifically custom-made for each individual patient using their own immune cells, be made available to patients who have not responded to other treatments and whose prognosis is poor.

The agreement has been reached through the Swiss pharma giant’s negotiations with NHS England and the NICE. Meanwhile, the company has also been working with selected specialist hospitals to ensure that they are ready to deliver Kymriah.