CAR-T therapy-associated T-cell malignancies that the US FDA is investigating could make the treatments less attractive in autoimmune diseases than in oncology, but patients in both settings already accept some cancer risk with other available medicines.

Hopes are that the impact of the US FDA’s investigation into a small number of T-cell malignancies associated with CAR-T therapies will be small since the benefit/risk profile still looks sound.

Novartis pioneered CAR-Ts for leukemia and lymphoma, and inspired by pioneering physician Georg Schett, it also hopes to be first in the race to revolutionize autoimmune disease treatment with the therapies, and has unveiled the first clinical data for its candidate.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) carries huge potential for business and society. However, various events around the globe, including the Black Lives Matter movement, highlighted that there are unaddressed challenges which need to be tackled. PTC Therapeutics, a global biopharmaceutical company with presence in in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) has initiated a new ED&I program to further strengthen its values and encourage positive progress globally.