We’re pleased to announce that the Canadian Association of Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)’s pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review Expert Review Committee (pERC) has, for the first time, recommended the funding of a CAR T-cell therapy, CARVYKTI (ciltacabtagene autoleucel) for treatment of multiple myeloma.

In the recently published decision, the pERC recommended (contingent on a price reduction), that CARVYKTI be reimbursed for adults with triple-class refractory multiple myeloma (treated with and refractory to, a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent and an anti-CD38 antibody), who meet certain conditions which will be listed in CADTH’s soon-to-be published final recommendation. 

Though funding is only currently recommended under very limited conditions, we hope that if further clinical and real-world evidence generated in different patient populations shows to be beneficial, this recommendation can be updated to suit the best available evidence.  

We’re glad to see that CADTH is aware of the difficulties inherent in delivering CAR T-cell therapies across Canada, and the equity concerns this poses, even though they do not have much control over the issue. Canada’s complex healthcare system, and multi-stage drug approval process means this decision unfortunately has no immediate effect on Canadian myeloma patients’ ability to access funding for, nor treatment with CARVYKTI. 

Now, we await the completion of price negotiations between a/the province(s) and the manufacturer of CARVYKTI (Janssen). Nonetheless, the CADTH decision still represents a critical step towards the (ever closer) goal of access to CAR T-cell therapy for Canadians with myeloma.