Written by : Dr. Aishwarya Sarthe
January 22, 2025
The therapy, a personalized treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory B-NHL, is manufactured at Immuneel’s advanced facility in Bengaluru.
Immuneel Therapeutics has unveiled Qartemi, India’s first global CAR T-cell therapy, targeting adult B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-NHL), a type of blood cancer.
The therapy, a personalized treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory B-NHL, is manufactured at Immuneel’s advanced facility in Bengaluru.
This new therapy addresses a critical gap in India’s cancer treatment landscape, offering an alternative for patients who have not responded to traditional treatments such as chemotherapy.
Immuneel conducted India’s first CAR T-cell therapy trial in 2022, using an autologous CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies. The trial, named IMAGINE, was conducted across several prominent hospitals, including Narayana Health in Bengaluru, Apollo Cancer Hospital in Chennai, and PGIMER in Chandigarh. Results from the IMAGINE Phase 2 trial revealed an 83.3% overall response rate (ORR) at Day+90, confirming that the efficacy and safety of Qartemi are comparable to CAR T-cell therapies approved by the USFDA.
India is facing a growing challenge with blood cancers, with around 120,000 new cases and over 70,000 deaths annually from leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Amid this increase, Qartemi is a crucial advancement, offering renewed hope for patients with limited treatment options. To make Qartemi available to a broader patient population, Immuneel has partnered with leading hospitals, such as Narayana Health, Apollo Hospitals, CMC Vellore, Manipal Hospitals, and RGCIRC Delhi. This collaboration will ensure that patients across India can access this advanced therapy.