India approves ‘living drug’ Qartermi to treat blood cancer; here’s what you need to know – India TV

India approves 'living drug' Qartermi to treat blood cancer
Image Source : FREEPIK India approves ‘living drug’ Qartermi to treat blood cancer

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) approved Chimeric Antigen Receptor or CAR T-cell, named Qartemi by Immuneel Therapeutics, for adult B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-NHL). This comes nearly a year after NexCAR19, the country’s first homegrown immunotherapy, CAR-T therapy, was approved by CDSCO. 

Qartemi is a ‘living drug’ that has been approved for blood cancer patients who suffer from an advanced or relapsed stage of the disease. The drug has been developed by ImmunoACT, a company incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), IIT-B and Tata Memorial Hospital. 

“A living drug is a type of biological therapy that utilises living cells or organisms to treat a disease. These therapies harness the power of the body’s own immune system to fight off diseases like cancer,” said Dr Rahul Bhargava, Principal Director and Chief BMT at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram.

Dr Bhargava spoke to India TV about the drug and how it will benefit cancer patients. 

Explaining CAR-T cell therapy, Dr Bhargava said that it “is a type of immunotherapy that involves genetically modifying a patient’s own T-cells (a type of white blood cell) to recognize and attack cancer cells. “

NexCAR19 which was approved last year. Dr Bhargava also shared how Qartemi is different from NexCAR19. He said, “While both CAR-T cell therapies target specific proteins in cancer cells, they differ in the types of cancer they treat and the specific engineering of the T-cells. NexCAR19, for example, targets CD19, a protein found in certain types of B-cell lymphomas, while newer CAR-T therapies may target different proteins on various cancer cells.”

“CAR-T cell therapies have the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment in India by offering a powerful new weapon against certain types of cancers, ” said Dr Bhargava. 

However, several factors could impact the widespread adoption of these drugs. These factors include:

  • Cost: CAR-T cell therapies are currently very expensive, which could limit their accessibility in India.   
  • Infrastructure: The production and administration of CAR-T cell therapies require specialised facilities and expertise, which may not be readily available in all parts of India.   
  • Clinical Trials: Continued research and clinical trials are needed to further refine CAR-T cell therapies and expand their use to a wider range of cancers.

“Despite these challenges, CAR-T cell therapies represent a promising avenue for cancer treatment in India, and ongoing efforts to address these issues could make these life-saving therapies more accessible to patients in the future, ” says Dr Bhargava.

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