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Gilead subsidiary Kite Pharma has made a deal with distribution giant Cencora that will expand its treatment center network and increase access to CAR-T therapies Yescarta and Tecartus. Pharma solutions firm Cencora and Gilead Sciences have expanded their longstanding partnership, cutting a deal in which the distribution giant will support access to Gilead's CAR-T cancer therapies Yescarta and Tecartus.The collaboration is designed to facilitate more efficient access to the blood cancer therapies, which were developed by Gilead’s CAR-T subsidiary Kite Pharma. Under the agreement, Cencora will leverage its substantial distribution infrastructure to bolster cell therapy availability at an "increasing number" of authorized U.S. treatment centers, including health systems and community oncology practices, according to a June 2 release. “Cencora has a proven track record of supporting complex therapies,” Christophe Griolet, Kite’s U.S. VP and general manager, said in a release. “As we expand our treatment center network, Cencora’s specialty distribution infrastructure and expertise will support a seamless experience across new and existing sites, reducing provider barriers and enabling us to meet patients where they are.” Since Yescarta and Novartis' Kymriah first came online in 2017, uptake of CAR-T therapies has been hindered at times by high prices, small patient pools and limited manufacturing capacity. A lack of designated treatment centers and hospital infrastructure has also limited access to CAR-Ts in the past.“Cell therapies are individualized treatments made from a patient’s own cells, and pose unique challenges to healthcare providers, including health systems and community practices,” said Melissa Lattanzi, VP of emerging therapies at Cencora, in a statement. “We will leverage our distribution infrastructure and services to support efficient access and reduce administrative burdens—including order management—across sites of care, advancing Kite’s goal to bring therapies closer to patients' homes.” Along with Texas-based McKesson and Ohio-based Cardinal Health, Cencora is one of the “Big Three” pharmaceutical distribution companies. In fiscal year 2025, Cencora reported revenue of $321 billion.Meanwhile, faced with competition from newer treatments such as Bristol Myers Squibb’s CAR-T Breyanzi and bispecific antibodies like AbbVie and Genmab’s Epkinly and Roche’s Columvi, sales of Yescarta and Tecartus declined for the first time last year. In 2025, which was the eighth full year on the market for Yescarta, the CAR-T therapy's sales declined by 5% to $1.5 billion. Tecartus, which was approved in 2020, saw a 15% sales drop-off to $344 million. For its part, BMS reported that revenue from Breyanzi increased by 82% to $1.4 billion in 2025. The treatment was approved in 2021. Sales of Epkinly and Columvi—which were greenlit in 2023—reached $468 million and $165 million, respectively.Pennsylvania-based Cencora, which was formerly known as AmeriSourceBergen, has partnered with Gilead for more than two decades. In 2020, it was the sole U.S. distributor for Gilead’s COVID-19 antiviral treatment Veklury.