Key takeaways

  • Kymriah is a one-time infusion treatment tailored to help your own T cells fight certain types of leukemia and lymphoma. The dosage is calculated based on your body weight in kilograms.
  • The treatment process involves collecting a sample of your body’s own T cells, which is then sent to a manufacturer to create a custom dose of Kymriah. After manufacturing, the treatment is sent back to the healthcare facility for infusion.
  • Following your Kymriah infusion, you will be closely monitored for serious side effects for a period of 2 weeks. You should avoid driving during this post-infusion monitoring period.

Kymriah is a prescription drug that’s used to treat certain types of leukemia and lymphoma. The drug is given as an intravenous (IV) infusion. Kymriah is usually given as a single dose.

The active ingredient in Kymriah is tisagenlecleucel. (An active ingredient is what makes a medication work.)

Kymriah belongs to a group of drugs called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies. It is a biologic drug, which means it’s made from living cells.

This article describes the dosages of Kymriah, as well as its strength and how it’s given. To learn more about Kymriah, see this in-depth article.

This section describes the usual dosages of Kymriah. Keep reading to learn more.

What is Kymriah’s form?

Kymriah is given as an intravenous (IV) infusion (an injection into your vein over a period of time) by a healthcare professional. You cannot self-administer Kymriah.

What strength does Kymriah come in?

Kymriah is made using your own immune system T cells. The cells are harvested from your blood and sent to a lab to prepare your CAR-T therapy.

What are the usual dosages of Kymriah?

The information below describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended. Your doctor will determine the best dosage to fit your needs.

If you have questions about your dosage, talk with your doctor.

Dosage for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Kymriah is used to treat certain types of B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The typical Kymriah dosage for adults is one infusion of Kymriah. Your dosage is based on your body weight in kilograms (kg). For reference, 1 kg equals about 2.2 pounds (lb). Your doctor will calculate your dosage.

Dosage for B-cell lymphoma

Kymriah is used to treat certain types of large B-cell lymphoma in adults, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), high grade B-cell lymphoma, and DLBCL that started as follicular lymphoma.

Kymriah is given as a one-time infusion. Your doctor will calculate your dosage of Kymriah based on your body weight in kg.

Dosage for follicular lymphoma

Kymriah is used to treat certain types of follicular lymphoma in adults. The dosage is one infusion of Kymriah. Your doctor will calculate your dosage based on your body weight.

What’s the dosage of Kymriah for children?

Kymriah is used to help treat B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and young adults up to 25 years old. They’ll receive one dose of Kymriah. Your child’s doctor will calculate their dose based on their body weight in kg.

For more information about Kymriah’s dosage for children, talk with your child’s doctor.

Is Kymriah used long term?

No, Kymriah isn’t a long-term treatment. For all the conditions it treats, the drug is given as a one-time IV infusion.

Kymriah is given as one IV infusion by a specially trained healthcare professional. It typically takes less than 1 hour to receive your Kymriah infusion.

Before receiving a Kymriah infusion, you’ll have your T cells collected through a procedure called leukapheresis at a special center. This process typically takes around 3 to 6 hours.

After being collected, the T cells are frozen and sent to Kymriah’s manufacturer to make your custom dose of Kymriah. Then, it’s mailed to the healthcare facility where you’ll receive your Kymriah infusion. This may take 3 to 4 weeks.

As part of your pretreatment before you receive Kymriah, you may receive low dose chemotherapy. You may also receive acetaminophen (Tylenol) and an antihistamine like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) to reduce certain infusion-related side effects before you receive Kymriah treatment.

You will be monitored daily the first week following your Kymriah infusion for signs and symptoms of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurological toxicity (damage or dysfunction of your brain, spinal cord, or nerves).

Kymriah has boxed warnings for the risk of these side effects. To learn more, see the “Boxed warnings” section at the top of this article.

Your doctor or other healthcare professionals will continue to monitor you for signs or symptoms of CRS and neurological toxicity for at least 2 weeks after your Kymriah infusion. At the first sign of CRS or neurological toxicity, you should get immediate medical attention, which may require hospitalization or other medical care as needed.

Also, you should avoid driving for at least 2 weeks following your Kymriah infusion and get immediate medical attention if signs or symptoms of neurologic toxicity occur at any time following treatment.

If you have questions about how you’ll receive your dosage of Kymriah or other details, talk with your doctor. You can also see the manufacturer’s website for more information.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.