Cipla to collaborate with Kemwell Biopharma, Manipal medical group to form JV in US

Cipla has entered into a collaboration with Kemwell Biopharma and Manipal Education & Medical Group to form a joint venture in the US for development and commercialisation of novel cell therapy products.

The strategic collaboration is between Cipla (EU), UK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cipla, Kemwell Biopharma UK, and MNI Ventures, Mauritius, a subsidiary of Manipal Education & Medical Group, the company said in a statement.

"The primary goal of this joint venture is to develop and commercialise novel cell therapy products for major unmet medical needs in the US, Japan, and EU regions," it added.

Cipla (EU) will secure a 352 per cent stake in the joint venture company. The collaboration will capitalise on Cipla's leadership in product development and commercialisation, expertise of Kemwell in biologics and Manipal in healthcare delivery, the statement added.

"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 statement 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," Umang Vohra, managing director & global chief executive officer, Cipla said.

"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," he said.

Ranjan Pai, chairman, Manipal Education & Medical Group, said the collaboration will help bring 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," he added.

Cell therapy products will be a game-changer in offering an advanced therapeutic treatment for millions of patients suffering with painful diseases, Pai said.

Anurag Bagaria, chairman and CEO, Kemwell said, "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, he added.

"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," Bagaria said.

This is the second join venture between Cipla and Kemwell Biopharma, following the incorporation of Aspergen Inc, USA, in 2022 for the development, manufacturing, and commercialisation of biosimilars for global markets, the company said.

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