CD19 CAR-T agents to boost blood cancer market

Research from data and analytics company GlobalData shows that the use of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) agents for blood cancer is set to significantly increase between 2021-2031.

GlobalData predicts Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Breyanzi and Gilead’s Yescarta are set to have high annual sales in the forecast period.

CD19 CAR-T agents

Sam Warburton, Oncology Analyst at GlobalData explained: “the clinical and commercial landscape of CD19 CAR-T agents is expected to dramatically change over the next decade, primarily driven by label expansions into earlier and different lines of therapy, as well as increased clinical uptake supported by increased physician familiarity and the availability of more robust clinical data.”

The number of blood cancer patients receiving CD19-directed CAR-T therapies is set to boom over the next decade from approximately 3,700 patients in 2021 to nearly 13,500 patients in 2031.

However, Warburton stated, it is “currently unclear whether or not the companies’ manufacturing capabilities will be able to withstand the increased demand; if not, this may cap the number of patients treated with these agents.”

Yescarta for blood cancer

Yescarta is targeting expansions into the first line for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and second line for follicular lymphoma in 2030. It is set to retain its market-leading position as the most lucrative CD19 CAR-T agent in NHL, with annual sales reaching $1.7 billion in 2031, with approximately 5,000 patients treated across the eight major pharmaceutical markets (US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan, and China).

Breyanzi

Breyanzi is also expected to capture significant CD19 CAR-T market share, predicts GlobalData. Peak sales are anticipated to reach $1.3 billion in 2031. Breyanzi will exhibit the largest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) at 30 percent, compared to Yescarta’s CAGR of 9 percent. Breyanzi sales will also be supplemented by the anticipated approval in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2027, making it the first and only currently marketed CD19 CAR-T agent to penetrate the CLL market.

Breyanzi is approved for DLBCL, and a label expansion is anticipated for expansions into marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) in 2026 and 2028, respectively. This allows for a large total eligible patient population despite capturing less patient share relative to other CD19 CAR-T agents.