Butantan Strikes Deal to Make CAR-T in Brazil as New Case Points to Wider Uses

Overview

• In a new agreement, Instituto Butantan licensed IASO Bio’s technology to develop and produce CAR-T cell therapy in São Paulo.
• The program targets B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with production slated for the Nutera-SP facility run by Butantan.
• Butantan and IASO Bio say making the therapy in Brazil could trim per-patient costs that hover near $500,000 in private care and support future SUS access.
• Separately, a case report in Med detailed a woman with three severe autoimmune diseases who remains in remission one year after receiving CAR-T.
• Researchers stress that autoimmune use still needs controlled trials, while Brazilian teams have already moved a homegrown CAR-T into early clinical testing.