PRESENTED at the recent 2025 COMy (Controversies in Multiple Myeloma) Congress, a new study using data from the South East London Plasma Cell Disorders (SEL PCD) registry highlights significant gaps in access to CAR T-cell therapies for patients with multiple myeloma, despite promising trial results for two anti-cancer treatments, Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Cilta-cel) and Idecabtagene vicleucel (Ide-cel).
These treatments have shown strong outcomes in the CARTITUDE-4 and KarMMa-3 trials, respectively, leading to their approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). However, both therapies are not yet funded by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
The study aimed to identify eligible patients in South East London who could benefit from these therapies should NHS funding become available. Using EMA authorisation criteria, researchers found that many eligible patients were older, had undergone more lines of treatment, and were disproportionately from black ethnic backgrounds, compared to those in clinical trials. Additionally, a significant portion of eligible patients lived in socioeconomically deprived areas, with 36% and 33% of Cilta-cel and Ide-cel candidates, respectively, residing in the lowest IMD (Index of multiple deprivation) deciles. Moreover, many had one or more comorbidities.
The findings underscore potential barriers to equity of access, revealing that real-world patients with myeloma face significant challenges in accessing these advanced therapies. This discrepancy between clinical trial populations and real-world patients may lead to overlooked barriers for those in need of treatment.
Reference
Potter LJ et al. Uncovering disparities and opportunities: identifying CAR T therapy-eligible patients in a real-world multiple myeloma population. COMy 2025.
