At least 50 patients go for CAR-T treatment to China, which has more than 200 outfits working in this area, say industry insiders. In comparison, India has three players, and only one of themImmunoACT has a CAR-T product available commercially.
But things could change.
Rahul Purwar, founder and chairman of ImmunoACT, says not many would have gone to China for treatment since the IIT Bombay spinoff, backed by Hyderabad-based Laurus Labs, started commercially offering CAR-T therapy (NexCAR19) in India last November.
"We are offering the treatment at $50,000 and their cost is around $200,000. So, India obviously has a major edge here," he says.
In the US, this costs $800,000$900,000 per patient, including pre and post-infusion care.
The immune system is the body's natural defence against infections and old or abnormal cells, including those that make up cancer. In CAR-T treatment, chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) are genetically engineered to produce an artificial T cell receptor for use in immunotherapy.
Traditionally, CAR-T is delivered through the autologous route, which involves extracting the patient's blood, genetically re-engineering the cells, and infusing it back into the patient. The process takes three weeks or sovein to vein.
ImmunoACT's CAR-T product was approved by the Indian drug regulator last October for B-cell malignancies.
"If any country can bring the cost of this therapy down, it is India, as we have talented manpower," says Esha Kaul, Director, HaematoOncology, Bone Marrow Transplant, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali, on the outskirts of Delhi.
Purwar says around 2,500 patients are in the queue for receiving CAR-T treatment at ImmunoACT, which is increasing its capacity. In 2024-25, it will be able to process 300-500 patients, and by March 2025 it would have a capacity to process 2,000 patients a year.
Next frontier
Bu hikaye Business Standard dergisinin March 30, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Business Standard dergisinin March 30, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Indians prefer credit over debit card for high-value payments
In June 2024, India saw a significant increase in the number of credit, debit, and prepaid cards, reaching a total of 1.451 billion cards—an 11 per cent jump from the previous year, according to the India Digital Payments report for the first half of 2024 (January to June) by payment technology service provider Worldline.
An Indian anthropologist ahead of her time
Urmilla Deshpande set out to work on a novel about an Indian woman in Germany in the 1920s based on her grandmother Irawati Karve when she stumbled on the opportunity to write her biography.
IAF plane makes inaugural landing at upcoming Navi Mumbai airport
An Airbus C-295 of the Indian Air Force (IAF) touched down at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL) on Friday, marking the formal inaugural flight landing at the place. A Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jet did a low fly-by at the airport to test the 3.7-km long runway in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis and Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Co-operation.
Less than 33% of youth can search Net, transact online
Less than a third of those in the 15-29 age group can \"search the internet; send or receive an email and perform an online transaction\", show the findings from the latest Comprehensive Annual Modular Survey (CAMS), released by National Statistical Office (NSO) this week.
TCS shares dip as analysts offer mixed outlook
IT sector is expected to grow considerably from Q4 FY25 onwards
NSE retains Nifty 50 for weekly contracts
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has opted for the Nifty 50 index for issuing weekly option contracts following the Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi's) one-exchange-one-benchmark mandate.
Compare lenders' costs; higher rates can offset benefits of offers
Footfall, enquiries, and bookings at car dealerships are rising, driven by attractive offers and promotions. These special deals typically start in October and run until the New Year.
Noel's appointment as Tata Trusts' chair signals continuity: Analysts
It will be business as usual for Tata group stocks post Noel Naval Tata's appointment as chair of Tata Trusts, said analysts. They added that the development will signal continuity.
Sebi intervenes in ₹45cr Trafiksol IPO irregularity
To undertake detailed examination into disclosures by the firm
India-focused funds log first weekly redemption in 19 mths
China resurgence, expensive valuation dim India appeal; midcap funds see 14th week of outflows