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

  • Therapy in Practice
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Abstract

The 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, and 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 therapies of similar complexity, and even improving previously established basic processes in the various phases of this type of medication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmaceutical Services of Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Florbela Braga

  2. Pharmaceutical Services of University Hospital Center of Cova da Beira, Covilhã, Portugal

    Sandra Morgado & Manuel Morgado

  3. School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, Avenida Rainha D. Amélia, S/N, 6300-749, Guarda, Portugal

    Fátima Roque & Manuel Morgado

  4. Research Unit for Inland Development, Polytechnic of Guarda (UDI-IPG), Guarda, Portugal

    Fátima Roque & Manuel Morgado

  5. Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior (CICS-UBI), Covilhã, Portugal

    Fátima Roque & Manuel Morgado

  6. Health Sciences Faculty, University of Beira Interior (FCS-UBI), Covilhã, Portugal

    Manuel Morgado

Authors
  1. Florbela Braga
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  2. Sandra Morgado
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  3. Fátima Roque
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  4. Manuel Morgado
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manuel Morgado.

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No research funding was provided for this work.

Conflicts of interest

Florbela Braga, Sandra Morgado, Fátima Roque and Manuel Morgado state that they have no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article.

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Author contributions

FB: Acquisition, analysis and interpretation of the data, drafting of the manuscript, and technical support. SM: Analysis and interpretation of the data, drafting of the manuscript, and critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. FR: Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. MM: Concept and study design and critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content.

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Braga, F., Morgado, S., Roque, F. et al. The role of the hospital pharmacist in immunocellular therapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Drugs Ther Perspect 37, 433–438 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-021-00857-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-021-00857-8

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