Gilead and Kite Oncology’s vision of transforming cancer care in the Middle East with CAR T-cell therapy

Kite aquired by Gilead Sciences in 2017, is pioneering CAR-T cell therapy and addressing the rising cancer burden in the Middle East, where new cases are projected to double by 2040. With more than 25,000 patients treated globally across 455 centres, their engineered cell therapy offers promise for blood cancer patients through modification of immune system cells, potentially transforming regional oncology care through strategic partnerships and infrastructure development. Middle East Health speaks to Diego Santoro, General Manager and Head of International Kite, to find out about the company and their CAR T-cell therapy.

Middle East Health: Looking at cancer patients in the Middle East region, what do you consider to be the biggest unmet need for them, and can you elaborate on the resulting impact?

Diego Santoro: Cancer incidence in the Middle East is on the rise. Ac­cording to research, new cancer cases in the region are set to double by 2040, and we also know that blood cancer remains among five of the most common cancers in this region.

While the quality of care is high and circumstances differ in each country, de­lays in cancer detection and diagnosis are contributing factors to lower survival rates. This can mean that patients present at hospitals at advanced stages, by which time they have limited treatment options available to them
To change this status quo of poor prog­nosis, we need to work together with the healthcare systems to provide access to innovative treatments that can offer new hope to patients in the Middle East.

Middle East Health: How does CAR T-cell therapy fit into this and how does it address the un­met patient need?

Diego Santoro: One of the most important medi­cal breakthroughs to occur in decades is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. It is an innovative and individu­alised one-time treatment that engineers a patient’s white blood cells to harness their own immune system to treat certain kinds of blood cancers. The treatment has already demonstrated promising results in patients with the ability to induce com­plete response (no detectable cancer) and/ or improved overall survival. If you look at Gilead and Kite Oncology’s figures alone, more than 25,000 patients have been treated with our CAR T-cell therapies at more than 455 authorised treatment cen­tres globally. Alongside hope for patients, CAR T-cell therapies also offer potential opportunities for health systems to be more effective and efficient in the treat­ment of blood cancers.

Middle East Health: What is the status of access to in­novative cancer therapies in the Middle East and are there any opportunities to expand this?

Diego Santoro: Despite the long-term benefits of CAR T-cell therapies to both patients and health systems, only a fraction of eligible patients is receiving it due to barriers to access innovative therapies such as these. To address those barriers, there needs to be a broader understanding of CAR T-cell therapy and its value, which can enable healthcare stakeholders to create strategies that increase patient access. We recognise the Middle East’s commitment to health­care innovation and share this vision.

As experts and pioneers in cell therapy, Gilead and Kite Oncology’s focus is on bringing the benefits of cell therapy to pa­tients in the region through investment in research and development projects which we believe can successfully meet their needs. To support this, we continue to work closely with relevant authorities across the Middle East.

Middle East Health: Why is the Middle East region an important market for Gilead and Kite Oncology?

Diego Santoro: The Middle East embodies health­care innovation powered by an openness to embrace cutting-edge technologies. This attitude together with the real-time transformation of the healthcare sector not only improves patient outcomes, it also creates a model for other regions. It is this kind of nurturing ground that can break down the barriers to access and bring hope to patients.

Middle East Health: What objectives does Gilead and Kite Oncology have for CAR T-cell therapy in the Middle East?

Diego Santoro: With our strong international ex­perience and our established best practices in innovative cell therapies, we are strongly positioned and committed to build knowl­edge and capacity with our partners in the Middle East.

We believe in strategic and collaborative partnerships, within the region’s health and oncology ecosystem, to help build the capabilities, referrals, protocols and data processes so, together, we can lead a new frontier of cancer innovation.

We are committed to working closely with regulatory authorities to ensure eli­gible patients gain access to further treat­ment options to transform their prognosis and outcomes.

Middle East Health: How is Gilead and Kite Oncology’s experience of bringing advanced therapies to patients going to help regional stakeholders and decision makers?

Diego Santoro: Gilead and Kite Oncology’s CAR T-cell therapies are approved in more than 40 countries, including China, Japan and Singapore, with a network of more than 455 authorised treatment centres globally and growing. With this infrastructure that also supports Kite Oncology Middle East, we have the resources and experience to rapidly accelerate cell therapy research and development and drive continuous scientific and medical innovation. Addi­tionally, as mentioned, we have the most patient experience of any CAR T-cell therapy company, with more than 25,000 patients treated through our clinical trials and commercial products.

An important success factor for us, alongside our extensive experience, is to support the local vision wherever we bring our therapies. In other words, we develop people in the region to take cancer inno­vation forward so we can truly support the regional countries’ own health strategies.

Middle East Health: How does Gilead and Kite On­cology envision working with different healthcare stakeholders in the region?

Diego Santoro: We know that our ambitious goal of curing cancer cannot be achieved alone. Through key partnerships and collaborations in the region, we envision further building on our research and development efforts to ulti­mately change the outcomes for people living with difficult-to-treat blood cancers in the Middle East.

The time for transformative cancer care is now. Through stakeholder collaborations across every facet of the health system – regulators, industry, academia, providers, and advocates – we’re ushering in a new era of cancer therapy in the Middle East.