India's First patient Declared 'Cancer-Free' Using indigenous CAR-T Cell Therapy

Technology News ,India :- In a landmark decision a few months ago, India's drug regulatory authority, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), granted approval for the commercial application of CAR-T cell therapy. This groundbreaking therapy involves genetically reprogramming a patient's immune system to combat cancer.

Recent reports from the Indian Express highlight the remarkable success of this therapy, particularly in the case of Dr (Col) V K Gupta, a highly experienced gastroenterologist based in Delhi with 28 years of service in the Indian Army.

Dr. Gupta accessed the therapy at the Tata Memorial Hospital by paying just INR 42 lakh or $50,000, a fraction of the cost compared to the INR 4 crore or $480,000 for a similar treatment abroad. The doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital, where the procedure took place, confirmed that Dr. Gupta is currently "free of cancer cells," marking him as the first patient to achieve this status, a dream unimaginable just a year ago.

The doctor overseeing Gupta's therapy, Dr. Hasmukh Jain, a hemato-oncologist and associate professor at the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre, stated, "While it's premature to claim a lifelong cure, the patient is currently free of cancer cells."

Despite this promising outcome, Dr. Jain emphasized that it is still too early to determine the overall success rate of the therapy. Initial findings, however, suggest "better survival chances and lower remission rates" for patients in the early stages of cancer.

The CDSCO granted approval for the commercial use of CAR-T cell therapy in October 2023, and today, it is available in over 30 hospitals across more than 10 cities in India. Eligible patients, aged above 15 and suffering from B-cell cancers, can now access this revolutionary treatment, offering hope for a brighter future in the fight against cancer.