Cipla, Kemwell Biopharma, Manipal forge cell therapy alliance in US

Mumbai: Cipla (EU) Limited, UK a wholly owned subsidiary of Cipla Limited, hereinafter referred to as Cipla has announced a strategic collaboration with Kemwell Biopharma Private Limited (through its subsidiary Kemwell Biopharma UK Limited) and Manipal Education & Medical Group (through its subsidiary MNI Ventures, Mauritius) to incorporate a joint venture in the United States.

The primary goal of this joint venture is to develop and commercialise novel Cell therapy products for major unmet medical needs in the United States, Japan, and EU regions. Cipla (EU) Limited will secure a 35.2% stake in the joint venture company.

"By capitalizing on Cipla’s leadership in product development and commercialisation and aligning with Kemwell’s expertise in biologics and Manipal’s expertise in healthcare delivery, this strategic collaboration is aimed at expediting development, manufacturing, licensing, import and export of cutting-edge Cell therapy products to cater to patients globally," the release stated.

Commenting on this development, Umang Vohra, Managing Director & Global Chief Executive Officer, Cipla, said, “This joint venture reinforces our concerted efforts to move up the innovation curve and pioneer transformative treatments in the areas of stem cell and CAR T-cell therapies, enabled by advances in biotech, mRNA and cell-engineering research, that can make a difference to patient lives globally. As we steer Cipla into the future and lead with purpose, our partnership with Kemwell and Manipal Group will be integral in realising these advancements.”

Commenting on the tie up, Dr Ranjan Pai, Chairman, Manipal Education & Medical Group, said, “We are very happy to partner with Cipla and Kemwell in bringing the next generation of biological therapies to address unmet medical needs globally. Physicians will have accessible, safe, and clinically effective Cell therapies in their hand to fight against many serious indications. We believe that Cell therapy products will be a gamechanger in offering an advanced therapeutic treatment for millions of patients suffering with painful diseases.”

Anurag Bagaria, Chairman and CEO, Kemwell added “We believe that Cell therapies will become a major branch of medical treatment and will become a standard of care for challenging diseases. Kemwell has built a world-class cGMP facility in Bangalore and made India an emerging hub for cell therapy development and manufacturing. The synergistic combinations of Cipla, Manipal and Kemwell will accelerate the development of novel cell-based products for patients and transform the new JV into a global player in cell therapeutics.”