The Bengaluru-based cell and gene therapy start-up Immuneel Therapeutics announced the launch of Qartemi, the country's first personalized and precision CAR T-cell therapy for adults with B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-NHL).

B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) is a blood cancer that affects B cells in the lymphatic system. B-NHL is the most prevalent type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in India, accounting for 80-85% of all cases.

Qartemi, approved by the Indian regulator Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), is a personalised therapy for adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-NHL. It has also received a license from Spain's Hospital Clinic de Barcelona (HCB), a world-renowned institution at the forefront of cell therapy development.

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.

CD19-directed, genetically modified autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy alters a patient's T-cells to specifically target and destroy cancer cells. Clinical trials in India and Spain show that Qartemi's safety and efficacy are comparable to USFDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies.

"The launch of Qartemi is a watershed moment in India's fight against cancer. "We are giving patients with aggressive blood cancers new hope by combining world-class research CAR-T cell therapy with indigenous manufacturing," said Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, Board Director and Co-Founder of Immuneel Therapeutics.