SMC recommends axicabtagene ciloleucel for DLCBL

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has recommended the treatment axicabtagene ciloleucel, also known as Yescarta, for people with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLCBL) which has returned within 12 months of, or is refractory to, first-line chemoimmunotherapy. 

Axicabtagene ciloleucel is a type of treatment known as CAR-T cell therapy. This treatment uses your own immune system to fight lymphoma. It is made from your T cells, a type of lymphocyte (white blood cell) which fights infections. 

This treatment is now recommended for use in Scotland because a study showed that people with relapsed and refractory DLBCL had an improved chance of survival, compared with chemoimmunotherapy.

Axicabtagene ciloleucel was recommended for use in the rest of the UK by NICE for the same group of patients in June 2023.

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