Advanced Cancer Care: Enhancing Systems and Structures to Deliver In-House Personalised Therapies for Patients via the Hospital Exemption

Prof Aisling McMahon, Maynooth University was awarded and Irish Research council New Foundations with Breakthrough as partner.  She will investigate Advanced Cancer Care: Enhancing Systems and Structures to Deliver In-House Personalised Therapies for Patients via the Hospital Exemption

Access to personalised cancer therapies including CAR-T therapy is difficult to deliver in public health systems given the high costs (approx. €450,000/patient) under traditional innovation models. Sustainable pathways to deliver cost-effective access to such therapies are needed. The hospital exemption is one such pathway which allows hospitals, under certain conditions, to produce tailored personalised therapies for patients. Yet, there is uncertainty around how this avenue can be used. This
project fills this gap – examining the extent that it could be used in Ireland to deliver access to CAR-T, potential barriers and whether it could enhance patient access and clinical autonomy.