New Costly Cancer Treatments Face Hurdles Getting to Patients

But the biggest hurdle yet may be the cost of the therapies.

The genetic engineering involved means CAR therapies are very complex to manufacture, and each is a unique personalized treatment using a patient’s own blood cells. The inability to mass-produce them has likely implications for how much companies will charge for them.

“What we’re talking about here is a single, very expensive therapy that’s used once for a specific patient and is not generalizable,” says Dr. Malcolm Brenner, director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at the Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

Dr. Brenner signed a deal in March to commercialize his own CAR research with Celgene.

Novartis and Juno say it is too early to speculate on price, although Dr. Usman agrees the challenge is getting the manufacturing process to “a viable level where it’s both affordable and attractive.”

While most analysts think it is too early to estimate potential revenue or price, Citigroup believes CAR therapies could cost in excess of $500,000 per patient, which it notes is roughly in line with the cost of a stem cell transplant.

“This technology needs to be widely developed and accessible to patients,” says Dr. DeAngelo. “If the cost is going to be a hindrance, it’s going to be a really sad day.”