Pharmacist Medication Insights: Tecartus for Mantle Cell Lymphoma

In July 2020, the FDA approved brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus, Kite Pharma), a cell-based gene therapy for the treatment of adult patients diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) who have not responded to or who have relapsed following other kinds of treatment.

A chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, brexucabtagene autoleucel is the first cell-based gene therapy approved by the FDA for the treatment of MCL, according to the agency.

MCL is a rare form of cancerous B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma that typically occurs in adults who are middle-aged or older. In patients with MCL, B-cells change into cancer cells that start to form tumors in the lymph nodes and quickly spread to other areas of the body.

Each dose of brexucabtagene autoleucel is a customized treatment created using a patient’s own immune system to help fight the lymphoma. The patient’s T cells are collected and genetically modified to include a new gene that facilitates the targeting and killing of lymphoma cells. These modified T cells are then infused back into the patient, according to the FDA.