Advancing Affordable Indigenous IMMUNOTHERAPIES

Immunotherapy is transforming modern medicine by offering targeted, effective, and less toxic treatments for cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases. As global demand for these therapies grows, India is rapidly positioning itself as a key player in their development and largescale production. We shall take a deep dive into India’s immunotherapy research pipeline—what's driving it, what's holding it back, and whether the country can truly emerge as a global hub for affordable immunotherapy.

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India is emerging as a key player in global immunotherapy, backed by strong government support, skilled talent, and growing biotech capacity. A major milestone came in 2023 with the approval of NexCAR19, the country’s first indigenous CAR-T therapy. This was followed in January 2025 by the approval of Qartemi from Bengaluru-based Immuneel Therapeutics—a CAR-T cell therapy for patients with relapsed or advanced B-cell NonHodgkin Lymphoma—marking India’s second approved CAR-T product.

“From 2015 to 2025, the market is projected to grow from $0.5 billion to $4 billion. This momentum is being driven by research efforts sparked by COVID-19, innovations in cancer-focused immunotherapies and biosimilar products, as well as the growing adoption of CAR-T cell technologies and AI-based diagnostic tools—solidifying its role as an emerging centre for cutting-edge biologics and personalised medicine. However, compared to global leaders like the U.S., EU, and China, India is still in a developmental phase, with several critical capabilities under maturation,” said Shalini Tanwar, Team LeadImmunotherapy, Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services.

There has been a flurry of activity in India’s immunotherapy landscape in recent months. In June 2025, Zydus Life Sciences acquired rights to Agenus’ BOT/BAL cancer immunotherapy for India and Sri Lanka. Earlier, in March, Delhi-based Cellogen Therapeutics secured a patent for what is reportedly the world’s first indigenously developed bi-specific 3rd generation CAR-T cell therapy. In January, CytoMed Therapeutics partnered with SunAct Cancer Institute to initiate a proposed phase 2 trial of Gamma Delta T cell therapy for solid tumours. This followed Mankind Pharma's December 2024 collaboration with Innovent Biologics to bring the PD-1 inhibitor sintilimab to India.

Immunotherapy research pipeline