An Incredible Moment in Medical History

Today is an incredible moment in medical history, as the U.S. FDA approved the first-ever CAR-T cell therapy. It’s a credit to all those involved over many years across Novartis, the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) whose unique vision and persistence has made this moment a reality. 

 It’s a moment for celebration but also to recognize this has been a hard-fought victory for many. Breakthroughs in CAR-T technology with its completely new approach to treating cancer offered a previously unimaginable level of hope. I’m proud that in partnership with UPenn and CHOP, our team had the courage to explore this technology and as a result, progress this treatment along the path which ultimately led to FDA approval. This decade long journey was filled with many ups and downs. The research teams, physicians and patients involved remained positive, resilient and confident – and this approval is built upon their determination to bring new hope to as many patients as possible.

 We hope this is just the first of many applications of CAR-T technology, and Novartis intends to continue pioneering ways we can bring this therapy to different types of cancers. Perhaps the most significant learning I’ll take away is that it would have been impossible without the courageous work of all involved. As we look toward the future, we must be willing to take risks, adopt new technologies, and venture into uncharted territories of medical research to achieve truly transformative breakthroughs.