Sahyadri Hospitals, one of Maharashtra’s largest hospital chains, has announced a ground-breaking commercial collaboration with Mumbai-based startup ImmunoACT to introduce the CAR-T cell therapies in Pune.

As one of the prominent healthcare facility, Sahyadri Hospitals, equipped with comprehensive haematology treatment centres, is set to provide access to NexCAR19 (Actalycabtagene autoleucel). This CAR-T cell therapy is designed to treat relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma and B-acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients aged 15 and above.

NexCAR19, the first CAR-T therapy fully developed and manufactured in India, is now among approximately ten such therapies available commercially worldwide. While similar therapies can cost several hundred thousand dollars in the United States, it is planned to be offered at almost one-tenth of this cost.

Outcomes in B-cell cancers, where one or more lines of treatment have failed, are generally dismal. Sahyadri's medical and haemato-oncologists intend to deploy NexCAR19 to enhance the standard of care, which currently includes chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies, and bone marrow transplant. NexCAR19 will be initially available at Sahyadri's Deccan Gymkhana center in Pune, serving patients across western India and beyond.