The role of the hospital pharmacist in immunocellular therapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells

AbstractThe development and commercialization of genetically modified T-cell medicines using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells represents a new challenge for European Union hospital pharmacies. The aim of this article was to review the key aspects of these medicines, particularly those already available in the European Union (axicabtagene ciloleucel and tisagenlecleucel), and to describe the hospital pharmacist ’s role within the multidisciplinary health team. Because CAR T-cell medicines are exclusively used at the hospital level, hospital pharmacists have a responsibility to contribute to their rational use, assuming technical responsibility for their ordering, product receipt, storage, preservation, a nd dispensing, as well as establishing an effective and safe system that ensures correct administration to the patient. This should also include the short- and long-term follow-up of patients treated with this type of therapy, emphasizing on the management of the main adverse effects of this therapy . CAR T-cell therapy offers hospital pharmacists the opportunity to work closely with other health professionals involved in the process, allowing their contribution to the development of procedures, clinical practice guidelines of global use, establishing starting points when facing future therapie s of similar complexity, and even improving previously established basic processes in the various phases of this type of medication.
Source: Drugs and Therapy Perspectives - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research