Pharmaceutical solutions companies Sencora and Gilead Sciences have expanded their long-standing partnership, with the distribution giant signing an agreement to support access to Gilead’s CAR-T cancer treatments Yescarta and Tecartas.
The partnership aims to facilitate more efficient access to blood cancer treatments developed by Gilead’s CAR-T subsidiary, Kite Pharma.
Under the agreement, Cencora will leverage its extensive distribution infrastructure to enhance the availability of cell therapies in a “growing number” of U.S. accredited treatment centers, including health systems and community oncology clinics, according to a June 2 release.
“Cencora has a proven track record of supporting complex therapies,” Christophe Griolet, Kite’s U.S. vice president and general manager, said in the release. “As we expand our network of treatment centers, Cencora’s specialized distribution infrastructure and expertise will support a seamless experience across new and existing facilities, reducing barriers for providers and allowing them to meet patients where they are.”
Since Yescarta and Novartis’ Kymriah were first marketed in 2017, widespread use of CAR-T therapies has at times been hampered by high prices, low patient numbers, and limited manufacturing capacity. Previously, access to CAR-T was limited due to lack of designated treatment centers and hospital infrastructure.
“Cell therapies are individualized treatments made from a patient’s own cells that pose unique challenges for health care providers, including health systems and community practices,” Melissa Lattanzi, Vice President of Emerging Therapies at Cencora, said in a statement. “Leveraging our distribution infrastructure and services, we will support efficient access across care sites, reduce administrative burdens including order management, and advance Kite’s goal of bringing care closer to patients’ homes.”
Sencora is one of the “Big Three” pharmaceutical distribution companies, along with Texas-based McKesson and Ohio-based Cardinal Health. In fiscal year 2025, Cecora reported revenue of $321 billion.
Meanwhile, sales of Yescarta and Tecartas fell for the first time last year as they faced competition from new treatments such as Bristol-Myers Squibb’s CAR-T Breyanzi and bispecific antibodies such as AbbVie & Genmab’s Epkinly and Roche’s Colomby.
In 2025, Yescarta’s eighth full year on the market, sales of CAR-T therapy declined 5% to $1.5 billion. Approved Tecartas sales in 2020 fell 15% to $344 million.
BMS reported that revenue from Breyange increased 82% to $1.4 billion in 2025. This treatment was approved in 2021. Epkinley and Colombi, which were greenlit in 2023, had sales of $468 million and $165 million, respectively.
Pennsylvania-based Cencora, formerly known as AmeriSourceBergen, has partnered with Gilead for more than 20 years. In 2020, it became the sole U.S. distributor for Gilead’s novel coronavirus treatment drug Veklury.
