Cipla to Commercialise CAR-T Cell Therapy in Africa

New Delhi, Jan 20 (PTI) Drug firm Cipla on Tuesday said it has tied up with Immunoadoptive Cell Therapy to commercialise talicabtagene autoleucel, an indigenously developed CAR-T cell therapy, in the Republic of South Africa, Algeria, and Morocco.

The company, through its subsidiary Medpro Pharmaceutica, has entered into an exclusive license and supply agreement with ImmunoACT.

As part of this collaboration, ImmunoACT will manufacture the product, and Cipla will commercialise it in the licensed African territories, thereby expanding access of this new treatment to markets currently with unmet needs, the Mumbai-based drug major said in a statement.

Talicabtagene autoleucel is an autologous (of a patient's own blood sample) anti-CD19 CAR-T indicated for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (B-NHL) and B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) who have failed standard lines of therapy.


Administered to over 500 patients in India, the therapy has demonstrated high efficacy, durable responses, and a well-tolerated safety profile, leading to reduced ancillary healthcare costs, Cipla stated.

"By introducing CAR-T therapy in Africa, we aim to bring world-class innovation closer to patients and strengthen our commitment to accessible healthcare in the region," Achin Gupta, Managing Director and Global CEO Designate, Cipla, noted.

CAR T-cell therapy is a groundbreaking form of immunotherapy that uses a patient's own immune cells to fight the disease.

ImmunoACT (Immunoadoptive Cell Therapy Pvt Ltd) develops and manufactures accessible, affordable, cutting-edge gene-modified cell therapies for blood cancers and solid tumors.