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.