President Droupadi Murmu launched India’s first home-grown gene therapy for cancer CAR-T cell therapy ‘NexCAR19’, at IIT Bombay on Thursday. Calling it as “a new milestone in the journey of healthcare innovation in India”, the President said that this accessible and affordable treatment will provide a new hope for the whole of humankind. She expressed confidence that it will be successful in giving new lives to countless patients.
NexCAR19 is used for treating relapsed-refractory B-cell lymphoma and leukaemia. The process involves collecting the blood of the patient by a process called “leukapheresis”, which concentrates the white blood cells which is sent to a manufacturing center. The patient will have to get 3 days of chemotherapy to prepare your body before NexCAR19 is administered. When the NexCAR19 is ready, it will give it to the patient through a catheter placed into the vein (intravenous infusion). The patient is monitored for 7 days to 14 days after the infusion. There are side effects involved.
President Murmu said that CAR-T cell therapy is considered to be one of the most phenomenal advances in medical science. She noted that despite of being available in the developed nations for some time, because of the steep price, it remains beyond the reach of most patients around the world. She was happy to note that the therapy being launched today is the world’s most affordable CAR-T cell therapy and also because it is an example of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
“The development of this therapy in India over the past decade and its approval in October 2023 speaks volumes about the skills of Indian scientists and physicians,” the President said, highlighting that India’s first CAR-T cell therapy is developed through collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and Tata Memorial Hospital in association with industry partner ImmunoACT.
“I am told that ImmunoACT is a start-up of two students, Alka Dwivedi and Atharva Karulkar, and Professor Rahul Purwar of IIT Bombay. Their vision and the hard work they put in to actualise that vision are commendable,” she said.
Mentioning that 14.6 lakh people succumbed to cancer in 2022 in India alone, and the number is likely to rise to 15.7 lakh by 2025, the President appreciated that this affordable therapy will be available across the country in major cancer hospitals, providing new hope to patients and their families.
Hon’ble President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu today dedicated to the nation, the new anti-Cancer CAR-T cell therapy NexCAR19, in the presence of the Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra Shri Ramesh Bais, Director of IITB Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri & Director of TMC Prof. Sudeep Gupta. pic.twitter.com/TBVId3cePX
— IIT Bombay (@iitbombay) April 4, 2024
