Drug regulator must look again at CAR T-cell treatment for mantle cell lymphoma

After five years of Tecartus being available on the NHS in England and Wales, in December 2025, NICE published final draft guidance recommending the removal of the treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma from the NHS.

The removal of Tecartus would leave patients in this position with very few other possible treatments, most of whom would only have the option of receiving palliative care.

While NICE acknowledged that Tecartus is clinically effective, it deemed the evidence about the extent of its efficacy too uncertain for the treatment to be value for money.

The three charities submitted a joint appeal to NICE against the final draft guidance, as did the treatment’s manufacturer Gilead. Following an appeal hearing on 30th March, NICE has now announced that it will reconsider its decision.

The appeal panel upheld two appeal points, agreeing with the three charities and Gilead that the NICE committee was not transparent about how the costs of delivering the CAR-T on the NHS were calculated, and that it incorrectly included outcomes from patients who had never received Tecartus in its cost-effectiveness calculations. The NICE committee must now meet again to address these concerns.

Dr Rubina Ahmed, director of research, policy and services at Blood Cancer UK, said:
“We welcome NICE’s decision to reconsider this recommendation because, for some people with mantle cell lymphoma, Tecartus may offer an important option when other treatments have stopped working.

“Blood cancer research is helping more people live longer and better lives, but progress only matters if patients can benefit from it in practice. We hope this reconsideration ensures the realities facing people with rare blood cancers and very limited treatment options are fully reflected in the final decision.”