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NICE Backs Obe-cel for Adults With Aggressive Leukaemia as NHS Fast-Tracks Rollout

NHS England will begin offering the UK‑developed CAR‑T within weeks through specialist centres using interim Cancer Drugs Fund support.

Overview

  • NICE’s recommendation covers people aged 26 and over with relapsed or refractory B‑cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
  • Patients will receive two intravenous doses ten days apart at selected CAR‑T centres, with initial capacity expected to treat around 50 people a year in England.
  • Trials reported 77% remission, with roughly half of those remaining free of detectable cancer at about three and a half years, and an average 15.6‑month survival gain.
  • The therapy showed lower toxicity than earlier CAR‑T options, with a design intended to limit severe immune reactions and enable potential outpatient use.
  • Aucatzyl was invented at UCL and will be manufactured by Autolus in Stevenage, following MHRA conditional authorisation granted in April 2025.