Country’s first cost-affordable indigenous gene therapy, known as CAR-T cell therapy for treatment of blood cancer was launched by President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday, offering a new ray of hope for such patients whose number is on increase across the country due to various reasons.
“The home-made therapy is a major breakthrough in our battle against cancer. As this line of treatment is accessible and affordable, it provides a new hope for the whole of humankind, Murmu said, expressing confidence that the therapy named as ‘NexCAR19 r’ will be successful in giving new lives to countless patients.
She further said that there used to be many life-threatening ailments that have been wiped out and forgotten now. Cancer, however, remains one of those complications that remind us of our limits. It has claimed a large number of lives around the world. In India, 14.6 lakh people succumbed to it in 2022, and the number is likely to rise to 15.7 lakh by 2025. “We can only imagine the pain and sufferings of so many patients and their families,” said the President.
Blood cancers constitute 8.2% of all cancers, and in India, its incidence is 5.5 cases per 1 lakh population per year. About 80,000 new blood cancer cases are detected per year, and one new blood cancer is reported every 7 seconds in India, and one person is dying from blood cancer every 20 seconds.
It is hoped that this cutting-edge treatment developed by a collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai will come as a boon to lakhs of such patients.
Director Sudeep Gupta of the Tata Memorial Centre highlighted the substantial cost reduction achieved with this therapy, making it accessible to a larger population. “While the therapy typically costs around Rs 4 crore abroad, it is now available in India for approximately Rs 30 lakh. This affordability significantly expands access to life-saving treatment for cancer patients across the country.”
IIT Bombay director Prof Subhasis Chaudhuri emphasized the significance of this achievement by comparing it to India’s entry into elite space exploration with Chandrayaan-3. “The low-cost CAR T-cell therapy not only signifies India’s prowess in medical innovation but also firmly establishes the nation on the global stage of cell and gene therapy,” he said.
Gupta stressed the practical impact of the treatment, estimating that it could benefit around 20,000 Indians annually. The rollout represents a monumental step forward in cancer care and genetic engineering, promising to save numerous lives and alleviate the suffering of countless individuals and families affected by cancer.
Dr Rahul Bhargava, a well-known Haematologist and BMT Oncologist from Fortis Noida, and Gurugram in Haryana termed it a pride moment for India and Indians and emphasised that it’s yet another weapon in our arsenals to fight against cancer. "CART cell therapy is a revolutionary cancer care. It offers hope for children and adults with leukemias, lymphomas, and many solid tumours that are refractory to conventional chemotherapy. Delivering high-intensity chemotherapy in a setting of antibiotic-resistant infections is becoming increasingly challenging with each passing year. I hope more patients can access this path-breaking therapy at affordable costs, thanks to the indigenous technology from Tata Memorial Hospital and IIT Mumbai," added Dr Nita Radhakrishnan, Head of Department of Pediatrics Hematology, Oncology, Post Graduate Institute of Child Health, Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
