New therapies that clinical data show can eliminate blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma in 40 percent to 90 percent of patients may have to be genetically modified to include a switch that shields healthy cells from attack.
The therapies could generate tens of billions of dollars in annual sales for drugmakers including Kite Pharma and Juno Therapeutics Inc, once they are approved.
The therapies involve using what are known as CAR T cells, which are white blood cells taken from the body and genetically modified to have the cancer-spotting traits of antibodies. These cells can circulate inside a person for years, even a lifetime, relentlessly seeking out cancerous growth.
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