BMS Fast Tracks CAR-T Manufacturing With Cellares Deal

With multiple autologous CAR-T cell therapies approved and showing high levels of clinical activity against leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma, an increasingly important arena of competition now is not just efficacy, but vein-to-vein time – how quickly sponsors can take patients’ T-cells, manufacture the CAR-T and get the finished product back to them. Bristol Myers Squibb Company’s partnership with Cellares is aimed at increasing its competitiveness in that regard.

The two companies announced 22 April a deal in which BMS will pay Cellares $380m in upfront and milestone payments for a capacity reservation and supply agreement to manufacture BMS’s...