In an effort to bring down the cost of cell and gene therapies, the Tata Sons-funded biotech firm MedTherapy is looking to bring in more development and manufacturing in the segment at an affordable cost to the patient, said a top executive with the firm.

The US-based cell-and-gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) has a technical facility in Boston and a manufacturing facility in Delhi, said Bikash Verma, MedTherapy Chief Executive Officer, who according to the company, had earlier served as medical director and faculty at Harvard University Medical School (Boston), and at multinational drugmaker Novartis.

MedTherapy collaborates with 22 global academic institutes in India, the US (including Havard University), Canada and Europe, besides drugmaker Cipla, he said.

The tie-up with Cipla is for a cell and gene therapy for India, Verma told businessline, without divulging details. Earlier this year, Cipla had announced an agreement with ImmunoAct to supply its CAR-T therapy for cancer, to South Africa, Algeria and Morocco.

MedTherapy was founded in the US in 2018 and incorporated in India in 2020, he said, and pointed to support from the late Ratan Tata in helping bring breakthrough therapies (especially for cancer) to India.

The biotech company can develop products, manufacture it, and partner with companies, Verma said, adding that it would look at cancer and non-oncology products.  

CAR-T cell therapy (Chimeric Antigen Receptor -T cell therapy) for cancer, approved in the US in 2017, is seen as a potential cure, he said. The segment has seen multiple Indian companies as well bringing out products at one-tenth of the global cost. Even that could be expensive, said Verma, adding that the aim was to bring qualitative products at reduced costs.

Pointing out that the industry was suffering from several manufacturing related constraints which are limiting immediate access and affordability, the company said, it had two separate business units - a CDMO to manufacture CAR-T cell therapies and viral vectors for other gene therapy companies’ products; and co-development of its own new CAR-T therapy products.

“Our own product co-development has led to very promising armored CAR-T therapies for solid tumors including brain, breast, lung, skin and bone cancers entering global clinical trials,” the company said, adding “the blood cancer CAR-T clinical trial in US, now entering clinical trial in India, has demonstrated one of the best response rates and safety profile among lymphoma patients - and is manufactured in just one day in contrast to several weeks for the industry.”

Published on May 27, 2026