Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (CARVYKTI) has received a notice of compliance (NOC) from Health Canada, approving the treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who have received 1-3 prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent, and are refractory to lenalidomide. 

Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA) conducted a reimbursement review of Carvykti for the same indication and decided to recommend the treatment for reimbursement.   

Unfortunately, the Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux (INESSS) did not follow suit, recommending that Carvykti should not be reimbursed in Quebec for the expanded indication. Myeloma Canada will continue advocating for equal and improved access to treatments like Carvykti for people in Quebec. Read INESSS’s decision (in French).

Carvykti is the sole CAR T-cell therapy for myeloma currently recommended for reimbursement in Canada and was previously approved for patients who have received 3 or more lines of therapy. By expanding the population of patients eligible for Carvykti, Health Canada’s approval and the CDA’s reimbursement recommendation, represent an important step towards increasing access to CAR T-cell therapy for Canadians with myeloma.