30/06/2025
New Jersey (NJ) Breakthrough! 🌟 A potential revolutionary drug developed in NJ is giving cancer patients years of remission and renewed freedom.
The story centers on Carmen Phaneuf, 57, of Little Falls, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable blood cancer, at age 34 in 2002. Despite undergoing multiple treatments, including chemotherapy and stem cell transplants, her disease consistently relapsed, leaving her feeling "tied to the infusion room."
However, in November 2022, Carmen received a one-time infusion of Carvykti at Hackensack University Medical Center. This groundbreaking CAR T-cell therapy genetically engineers a patient's own immune T-cells to specifically target and attack cancer cells. Unlike previous treatments that offered temporary remission, Carvykti has provided Carmen with nearly three years of remission, giving her unprecedented "freedom" to continue her active lifestyle, including skiing just eight weeks after the infusion.
According to Ying Huang, CEO of Legend Biotech, Carvykti is considered a "functional cure," allowing patients to enter prolonged periods of remission, with a recent study showing one-third of patients remaining treatment-free for five years or more. While expensive at around $500,000, it's typically covered by most insurance plans. The therapy requires a two-week hospital stay for monitoring side effects like fever and low blood pressure, but patients like Carmen found the recovery significantly easier than traditional treatments.
The article emphasizes the significant impact of this innovation for multiple myeloma patients, who historically faced a cycle of therapies until death. While not a true "cure," Carvykti offers a dramatically extended, high-quality life, changing the prognosis for thousands diagnosed with this aggressive cancer annually in the U.S. and New Jersey.
