NEW DELHI: Bengaluru-based cell and gene therapy start-up Immuneel Therapeutics on Monday announced the launch of Qartemi -- the country’s first personalised and precision therapy CAR T-cell therapy for treating B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-NHL) in adults.
B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) is a type of blood cancer that affects the B cells in the lymphatic system. B-NHL is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in India, accounting for 80-85 per cent of all cases.
Qartemi, approved by the Indian regulator the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), provides a personalised therapy for adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-NHL. It has also received license from Spain’s Hospital Clinic de Barcelona (HCB), a globally renowned institution at the forefront of cell therapy innovation.
Developed indigenously in Bengaluru, Qartemi (varnimcabtagene autoleucel - IMN-003A) harnesses a patient’s immune cells to target and eliminate cancer, offering new hope to those battling aggressive blood cancers. It has shown a potential to provide lasting remission of relapsed and refractory NHL, even when conventional therapies including chemotherapy prove ineffective.
Notably, it is priced at one-tenth the cost of a similar product in the US, the company said.
"Since Immuneel’s inception in 2019, our mission has been to offer affordable and innovative, lifesaving therapies for cancer that are otherwise inaccessible," Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Board Director & Co-Founder, Immuneel Therapeutics.
"With Qartemi, our flagship CAR T-cell therapy, we aim to transform cancer treatment in India by providing globally advanced, personalised therapies at an affordable cost," added Mazumdar-Shaw.
Immuneel, launched in 2019, initiated the trial on India’s first CAR T-cell therapy trial in 2022 for a novel autologous CD19-directed CAR-T cell therapy in patients with relapsed / refractory B cell malignancies. The trial was conducted across various hospitals including PGIMER in Chandigarh, and others in Bengaluru, and Chennai.
The CD19-directed, genetically modified autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy involves modifying a patient’s T-cells to specifically target and destroy cancer cells. Data from clinical trials in India and Spain show that the safety and efficacy of Qartemi is similar to that of CAR T-cell therapies approved by the USFDA.
"The launch of Qartemi marks a pivotal moment in India’s fight against cancer. By combining world-class research CAR-T cell therapy with indigenous manufacturing, we are offering new hope to patients facing aggressive blood cancers," said Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, Board Director & Co-Founder, Immuneel Therapeutics.