Immuneel Launches Affordable CAR T-cell Therapy For Non-Hodgkin’S Lymphoma

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.