Health Minister Alexandre Padilha announced this Wednesday (10), in Ribeirão Preto (SP), R$ 100 million of investment in Car-T Cell therapy and informed that the treatment, which modifies cells of the immune system, entered the priority flow of the Innovation Committee of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to be incorporated into the Unified Health System (SUS). According to him, the first results showed 87% efficacy in patients with lymphoma, which means they were extremely relevant. "With this, the registration of this product for the SUS can come out faster. This means that we have in the SUS a therapy that currently costs around US$ 500 thousand per treatment, the person will be treated in other countries, in the United States, paying US$ 500 thousand out of their own pocket. We will have this in the SUS for free". ✅Click here to follow the g1 Ribeirão e Franca channel on WhatsApp Treatment with Car-T Cell involves the removal of white blood cells, which are the patient's body's defense cells, by collecting blood through a vein. Now on g1 Known as lymphocytes, they are genetically reprogrammed in the laboratory to recognize and fight cancer cells, in this case B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The cells are manipulated and expanded in the laboratory and returned to the patient's bloodstream. READ ALSO Understand cell therapy against cancer applied experimentally Car-T: cancer therapy may apply for registration with Anvisa in 2026, says researcher CAR-T therapy advances in Brazil with research to reduce costs and reach the SUS Car-T Cell: first clinical trial volunteer receives blood cancer therapy CAR-T Cell Therapy CAR-T Cell therapy represents one of the greatest innovations in global oncology and works with immune system engineering in which the body's defense cells are removed from the patient's blood and are modified in the laboratory to gain "sensors" capable of identifying and attacking specific tumors. 🔎 CAR-T Cell stands for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell, that is, chimeric antigen receptor T cell. After this reprogramming, the cells are reintroduced into the body, where they begin to act against cancer. The technique offers high response rates in aggressive blood cancer cases, when other therapeutic options have been exhausted, and is indicated for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma. In addition to the clinical impact, Brazilian studies indicate that the early use of CAR-T therapy can save hospital resources by avoiding hospitalizations and treatments for disease relapses. In 2019, Brazil had its first treatment at the USP of Ribeirão Preto at the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, applied to a 64-year-old retiree, who became symptom-free after being hospitalized with lymphoma in a serious condition and unresponsive to conventional treatments. Between 2022 and 2024, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) approved commercial therapies from foreign pharmaceutical companies, making Brazil the main reference in Latin America. Even so, this remained restricted due to the high cost, of up to R$4 million per dose, and logistical issues, with the requirement to send cells for manufacturing in the United States or Europe, putting critically ill patients at risk. To nationalize the technology and reduce costs, institutions such as the Ribeirão Preto Blood Center, University of São Paulo and Butantan Institute joined forces in national research. With the consolidation of clinical tests in these studies, researchers were able to reach efficacy rates of up to 87.5% in patients with B acute lymphocytic leukemia and B non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The next step will be the request for definitive registration of these national therapies with Anvisa, paving the way for offering the technology through the Unified Health System (SUS). See more news from the region on g1 Ribeirão Preto e Franca VIDEOS: Everything about Ribeirão Preto, Franca and the region