Vector BioMed Pioneers Affordable CAR-T Cell Therapies In India

By Dr. Phalguni Deswal, MBBS, MSc, ACMI

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has emerged as one of the most significant advances in oncology, reprogramming a patient’s immune cells to recognize and destroy cancer. These therapies have achieved durable responses in patients with certain blood cancers, including those who had no remaining treatment options.

Several CAR-T therapies are now FDA-approved, including Bristol Myers Squibb’s Abecma and Breyanzi, Gilead Sciences’ Tecartus and Yescarta, Johnson & Johnson’s Carvykti, and Novartis’ Kymriah.

Yet the promise of CAR-T has been tempered by cost. In the United States and Europe, treatment can run from $400,000 to $1 million per patient. In countries like India, where cancer incidence is rising but per-capita health spending is far lower, such pricing puts CAR-T out of reach for most patients. To change this, Muni Seva Ashram’s Kailash Cancer Hospital and Research Center (KCHRC) in Gujarat is preparing to introduce CAR-T therapy using Vector BioMed’s LENTIVERSE platform, with the first patients expected in 2026 after extensive planning and facility development.

Vector BioMed, a U.S.-based biotech spun out of the nonprofit Caring Cross, has partnered with KCHRC to bring CAR-T therapy to India in a way that is both clinically feasible and financially accessible.

Note: This article was originally published on Drug and Device World.