According to data compiled by the South China Morning Post, small Asian biotechs are developing cancer therapies that may cost a fraction of those of their Western counterparts, with development occurring a rapid pace.
“A decade ago, treating cancer with personalized [therapies] seemed like a $1 million gamble per patient, a therapy reserved for the ultra-rich.
But [Asian] start-ups are aiming to change that – by designing cancer therapy for a fraction of the cost and also taking on Western pharmaceutical giants in the process,” the publication said.
It is estimated that the current cost of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T-cell), which is among the most responsive and promising cancer treatments, can run well over $400,000 per patient in the United States.
Due to this high cost, patient access is very limited to those who can afford it, or whose insurance can fully cover it.
However, one Singapore-based company, CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC) believes its CAR T-cell therapies, once brought to market, can reduce patient care costs drastically.
Peter Choo, Chairman of CytoMed Therapeutics said, “In Asia, we have a unique situation where the costs of research, development and production of biopharmaceuticals are generally far less expensive than we see in the West.
“There are a number of reasons why, but we clearly have a very large advantage in these areas. Because of this I believe companies like ours, and others in Asia, will eventually produce cancer therapies that cost perhaps 99% less than those developed and produced outside of Asia.
“Of course, doing so would not only make cancer treatments far less expensive but would bring this life-saving technology to a much larger pool of patients,” he said.
The majority of CAR T-cell therapies on the market are based on manufacturing and engineering cells from the cancer patient’s blood that only target hematological malignancies, or blood cancers. However, CytoMed’s pipeline of products look to advance “off-the-shelf” based allogeneic immunotherapies by manufacturing and engineering cells from healthy blood doners to treat a broad range of cancers, including both blood cancer and solid tumors.
Furthermore, the company looks to manufacture broad-range and cost-effective immunotherapeutic products in an area of the world where the associated costs of research and development, and manufacturing are a fraction of those in the West.
To read more about CytoMed’s CAR T-cell therapies, and its product pipeline, visit HERE
Or, to read more about the data compiled in the South China Morning Post, visit HERE
It’s been about 18 years since a four year girl diagnosed with neuroblastoma (a solid tumor cancer) received her first CAR T-cell therapy in clinical trial. Now in her 20’s, she’s been cancer-free for nearly two decades, one of the longest reported remissions following this breakthrough therapy.
However, while tens of thousands of patients have been treated to date with CAR T-cell therapies worldwide, many with great success, this particular case stands as a testament to science, and most importantly, where it is headed.
You see, the vast majority of CAR T-cell recipients are treated for hematological or blood cancers, as solid tumors like neuroblastoma have been, thus far, difficult to effectively target. Unfortunately for most of the patients in the trial cited above, the results were mixed.
Of the 19 children treated with CAR T-cell therapy (all diagnosed with neuroblastoma), 12 unfortunately died within seven years of treatment, and five were disease free after 10-15 years, with one patient (the young lady mentioned above) still in remission.
But a new clinical trial is soon taking place in India, with the ultimate objective to make cell therapy accessible to more patients.
CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC) in collaboration with SunAct Cancer Institute, has entered a Phase 1/Phase 2 clinical trial using CytoMed’s proprietary allogeneic gamma delta T cells for treating various cancers, including solid tumors.
Peter Choo, Chairman of CytoMed Therapeutics said, “CytoMed’s collaboration with SunAct is timely and complements our core focus of harnessing CytoMed’s proprietary off-the-shelf technologies to develop novel donor-derived cell-based allogeneic immunotherapies for the treatment of various cancers at affordable cost.
“We are aligned with the foresight of our partner SunAct to provide affordable no-option cancer therapeutics that could improve patients’ quality of life.”
Ultimately, should the trial prove successful, the company hopes to increase remission rates for solid tumor patients, while creating a CAR T-cell therapy that is far more affordable, wide ranging and accessible.
To read more about the CytoMed/SunAct collaboration, visit HERE
Or, to read more about the young lady who is nearing the two decade mark in remission, visit HERE
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell therapy, or CAR T-cell therapy, has revolutionized cancer treatment. First approved by the US Food and Drug administration in 2017, over 34,000 cancer patients have been treated to date.
However, while CAR T-cell therapies have proven to be highly effective against certain cancers, the costs associated with the development and administration of CAR T-cells are unacceptably high. In the US alone, estimates show that treatment of a single patient can cost between $300,000 and $600,000.
Clearly, while the science (and results) behind CAR T-cell treatments is exciting, the sky-high price tag associated with treatment must come down. Thankfully, there are ways to approach this issue.
BioInformant, the world’s largest stem cell industry blog says, “The high cost makes it (CAR-T cell therapy) inaccessible for many patients and poses a challenge for healthcare systems worldwide.”
In its coverage on the industry, the publication includes five ways to help reduce the costs of this life-saving treatment.
They are:
1: Producing the therapy in countries with lower manufacturing costs
2: Implementing point of care manufacturing
3: Developing off-the-shelf (allogeneic) CAR T-cell therapies
4: Engineering CAR-T cells inside the body (in Vivo)
5: Expanding CAR-T to other indications
Of the high costs of CAR T-cell therapies, Peter Choo, Chairman of CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC) said, “Our goal, and I believe the goal of the entire industry, is to greatly reduce the costs of CAR-T cell therapy…
“Currently, while the technology has proven to be very beneficial, its cost is a very high barrier for the vast majority of those in need. BioInformant makes very good points in its coverage.
“I would add that our mission at CytoMed is to create a CAR-T cell therapy that incorporates most of BioInformant’s cost-cutting points, especially points 1,2, 3 and 5. Producing the therapy in a lower cost manufacturing region, and on-site in Asia. Developing an off-the-shelf, allogeneic therapy and expanding our therapies to treat a multitude of cancers, both solid tumors and blood.”
By manufacturing an allogeneic, off-the-shelf CAR T-cell therapy that targets a wide range of cancers, CytoMed Therapeutics, with manufacturing facilities in Malaysia, could help to not only reduce the high cost of CAR-T cell therapies, but bring the costs down enough to treat a much larger pool of qualified patients.
To learn more about CytoMed Therapeutic’s technology, visit HERE
Or, to read the BioInformant coverage, visit HERE