Aragon progresses towards advanced therapies

Miguel Servet University Hospital receives accreditation from the Ministry of Health for the use of CAR-T therapies. This is the first step toward ensuring these treatments can be fully provided in Aragon.

The Interterritorial Health Council has today ratified the Advanced Therapies Plan in the National Health System (NHS) 2025-2028This plan, developed by the Ministry of Health, includes the designation of the Miguel Servet University Hospital (HUMS) as one of the new centers accredited for the administration of CAR-T therapies. This accreditation recognizes the work of the hospital's Hematology and Hemotherapy Service and consolidates Aragon as an autonomous community prepared to offer these advanced therapies in its own territory..

This achievement is just the first step. For the hospital to begin administering these therapies, the facilities will need to be adapted, both for the preservation of the medications—which must be kept cryopreserved—and for patient care. These works are planned as part of the HUMS Transformation Plan, which also includes the creation of six reverse isolation chambers for transplants and advanced therapies, as well as a dedicated staffing system for this task.

In addition, the hospital must receive certification from the laboratories responsible for manufacturing CAR-T drugs—such as Kite (Gilead), Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), and Johnson & Johnson—which must specifically authorize each center to ensure the proper storage and administration of their products. There are currently four different types of CAR-T drugs, each requiring its own technical qualifications. These types of therapies are currently indicated for treating certain lymphomas, leukemias, and myelomas.

Since November 2024, Servet's Hematology team has been performing apheresis on patients who are candidates for CAR-T—the first step in this complex therapy. With the new accreditation, the hospital is much closer to being able to provide the full course of treatment, avoiding the need for patients to travel to other autonomous communities.

The hospital thus joins the list of reference centers at the national level after passing the demanding quality and experience criteria established by the Ministryor, among them: capacity to perform apheresis, a significant volume of complex allogeneic transplants, the existence of specific clinical-pathological committees and the use of advanced technology in cell processing.

This accreditation marks a turning point for Aragon, which takes a decisive step towards improving access to highly complex treatments.The implementation of CAR-T therapies at Servet represents a substantial improvement in the care of patients with serious hematological diseases, who will be able to receive an innovative therapeutic option in their own territory and, in many cases, a source of hope where there were previously few alternatives.

Source: Health Government of Aragon