Cipla Unit To Develop Cell Therapy Products In JV With Kemwell, Manipal
The strategic collaboration is aimed at expediting development, manufacturing, licensing, import and export of cutting-edge cell therapy products.
A Cipla Ltd. unit will form a joint venture in the U.S. with Kemwell Biopharma Pvt. and Manipal Education and Medical Group to develop and commercialise novel cell therapy products for foreign markets.
Cipla (EU) Ltd. U.K., a wholly owned subsidiary, will secure 35.2% stake in the JV, which includes Bengaluru-headquartered Kemwell Biopharma's U.K. unit and Manipal arm MNI Ventures, Mauritius, according to an exchange filing on Monday.
The strategic collaboration is aimed at expediting development, manufacturing, licensing, import and export of cutting-edge cell therapy products to cater to patients globally, the drugmaker said. The U.S., Japan, and EU regions have been listed as key markets.
Cipla chief Umang Vohra said the JV will boost the company's 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".
According to the non-profit Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies, cellular therapy is the transplantation of human cells to replace or repair damaged tissue and/or cells.
Potential applications of cell therapies include treating cancers, autoimmune disease, urinary problems, infectious disease, and helping patients with neurological disorders.
Kemwell is a contract biologics development and contract manufacturing organisation, providing services to global biopharmaceutical organisations. It operates a cGMP drug-making facility in Bengaluru.
"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," said Anurag Bagaria, chairman and CEO at Kemwell.
Cipla and Kemwell Biopharma already operate a JV—Aspergen Inc.—in the U.S. since 2022 for the development, manufacturing, and commercialisation of biosimilars for global markets.
The Bengaluru-headquartered Manipal Group, through its subsidiaries, manages universities and professional institutions—including medical colleges, teaching hospitals, and medical science and technology institutions in India.
"We believe that cell therapy products will be a gamechanger in offering an advanced therapeutic treatment for millions of patients suffering with painful disease," said Manipal Group Chairman Ranjan Pai.
