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Yescarta

Pronunciation: yes-kar-ta
Generic name: axicabtagene ciloleucel
Dosage form: suspension for intravenous infusion
Drug class: Miscellaneous antineoplastics

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jul 2, 2025.

What is Yescarta?

Yescarta is used to treat large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma (FL) in adults. It is a personalized cancer treatment that is made from your immune system's T-cells and is given as a one-time intravenous infusion over 30 minutes. You will receive 3 days of chemotherapy before you get Yescarta, to prepare your body for the infusion.

To make Yescarta, your doctor first collects your T-cells, then sends them to a laboratory where they are enhanced by adding a special receptor called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). This improves the ability of these T-cells to target and attach to cancer cells that display a protein called CD19. Once attached, the modified T-cells destroy cancer cells, which strengthens your immune system's overall ability to fight cancer. Yescarta belongs to the drug class called CAR T-cell therapy.

Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) gained FDA approval on October 18, 2017. There is no generic. The Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) requirement for Yescarta was removed on June 27, 2025.

Approval for Yescarta was based on positive results from clinical trials, including the following:

FDA approvals and uses

Yescarta is approved for adults with:

Yescarta is not for use in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Side effects

The most common side effects of Yescarta are:

Yescarta may increase your risk of getting cancers, including certain types of blood cancers. Your healthcare provider should monitor you for this. 

Serious side effects and warnings

Yescarta carries a Boxed Warning for cytokine release syndrome, neurologic toxicities, and secondary blood cancers.

Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS): A potentially life-threatening condition where the immune system overreacts and releases excessive amounts of cytokines, leading to widespread inflammation and organ dysfunction. Tell your healthcare provider immediately if you develop symptoms such as fever, low blood pressure, trouble breathing, or vomiting. Talk to your healthcare provider about having medication available to quickly treat this condition. 

Brain/Nervous System Effects: The treatment can cause confusion, seizures, difficulty speaking, or other brain problems. These neurological symptoms can be serious or fatal.

T Cell Cancer Risk: Rarely, the modified immune cells used in treatment can themselves become cancerous, creating a new type of blood cancer different from the original disease being treated.

Call or see your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following:

Tell all your healthcare providers that you have received Yescarta and show them your Yescarta Patient Wallet Card. Your healthcare provider may give you other medicines to treat your side effects. Yescarta is different than other cancer medicines because it is made from your white blood cells, which have been modified to recognize and attack your lymphoma cells.

Yescarta may also cause other serious side effects:

These are not all the possible side effects of Yescarta. Call your healthcare provider about any side effects that concern you. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before receiving this medicine

Before receiving Yescarta, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical problems, including if you have or have had:

Also, tell your doctor if you have received a vaccine in the past 2 weeks. Vaccination with live virus vaccines is not recommended for at least 6 weeks before the start of lymphodepleting chemotherapy, during treatment, and until your immune system recovers following treatment with Yescarta.

Pregnancy

If you are a woman of childbearing potential, your healthcare provider may conduct pregnancy testing before receiving this medicine. You may also need to use birth control to prevent pregnancy during and shortly after treatment with Yescarta and chemotherapy.

If you receive Yescarta during pregnancy, your baby's blood may need to be tested after it is born. This is to evaluate any effects the medicine may have had on the baby.

Breastfeeding

It may not be safe to breastfeed while using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risks.

How will I receive Yescarta?

Since Yescarta is made from your white blood cells, your blood will be collected by a process called “leukapheresis” (loo-kah-fur-ee-sis), which will concentrate your white blood cells.

When your Yescarta is ready, your healthcare provider will give it to you through a catheter placed into your vein (intravenous infusion). The infusion usually takes less than 30 minutes.

Dosing Information

Dose of Yescarta for large B-cell lymphoma or FL in adults

Three days before your Yescarta infusion, you will receive a lymphodepleting regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine.

On the day of your infusion, your healthcare provider will:

What should I avoid after receiving Yescarta?

Avoid driving for at least 2 weeks after you get Yescarta.

Do not donate blood, organs, tissues, or cells for transplantation.

What other drugs will affect Yescarta?

Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using. Other drugs may interact with Yescarta, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.

See the Yescarta Prescribing Information for a complete list of interactions.

Does Yescarta interact with my other drugs?

Enter medications to view a detailed interaction report using our Drug Interaction Checker.

Ingredients

Active: axicabtagene ciloleucel

Inactive: albumin (human), DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide).

Yescarta is supplied in an infusion bag (NDC 71287-119-01) containing approximately 68 mL of frozen suspension of genetically modified autologous T cells in 5% DMSO and 2.5% albumin (human).

The target Yescarta dose contains 2 × 106 CAR-positive viable T cells per kg of body weight, with a maximum of 2 × 108 CAR-positive viable T cells in approximately 68 mL.

Manufacturer

Yescarta is made by Kite Pharma, Inc., Santa Monica, CA 90404.

Popular FAQ

What is the cost of Yescarta?

The cost of Yescarta is about $424,000 per treatment regimen, but most people do not pay this amount. Your insurance or the manufacturer may cover many of the costs for this treatment. Each dose of Yescarta is a customized treatment created using a patient’s own immune system to help fight lymphoma (a type of blood cancer).

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What's the difference between Kymriah and Yescarta?

Kymriah and Yescarta are two cell-based gene therapies. A few differences between the two medications include who and what they are FDA approved for, their dosage, and which companies make them. Continue reading

How is Yescarta administered?

Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) is given through a catheter placed into your vein (intravenous infusion), typically in your arm. The infusion usually takes less than 30 minutes. It is given as a one-time infusion. It is a special infusion made just for you using your own white blood cells in a process called “leukapheresis” which will concentrate your white blood cells to help fight cancer.

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What type of drug is Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel)?

Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) is a CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy. It is a type of immunotherapy approved to treat adults with certain forms of large B-cell lymphoma or follicular lymphoma. In CAR T, a patient's T cells (type of white blood cell) are separated out and engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) to target the tumor antigen CD19. 

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Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.