Mankind Pharma to Acquire 70% Stake in Armed Cell Therapeutics for €48 Million, Enters Next-Generation CAR-T Therapy Space
Indian pharmaceutical company Mankind Pharma is expanding into advanced cancer therapies through a planned €48 million investment to acquire a 70% stake in Armed Cell Therapeutics (ACTx), a Belgium-incorporated biotechnology company developing next-generation chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies.
The transaction, announced on October 15, 2026, will be executed through Mankind Pharma’s subsidiary, Mankind Pharma (Netherlands) B.V. It marks a strategic step in the Indian drugmaker’s ambition to build a global, innovation-led pharmaceutical business.
Advancing the next generation of CAR-T therapies
CAR-T therapy is a form of cancer immunotherapy in which T cells are genetically engineered to recognise and attack cancer cells. These therapies have transformed treatment for several blood cancers, but challenges remain, including disease relapse, limited persistence of engineered T cells, T-cell exhaustion and tumour resistance.
ACTx is developing “armed” CAR-T therapies designed to enhance and sustain anti-tumour activity. These approaches use additional engineered components, or payloads, to strengthen CAR-T cell function. The company is also exploring strategies that target multiple cancer antigens, potentially reducing the ability of tumours to evade treatment.
Another area of interest is in vivo CAR-T cell generation, an approach intended to generate CAR-T cells inside the patient rather than relying entirely on the conventional process of collecting, engineering and expanding cells outside the body.
ACTx’s lead programmes focus on two challenging cancer indications:
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Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Targeting a blood cancer in which relapse following existing CAR-T treatments remains a clinical challenge.
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Small cell lung cancer: Exploring new therapeutic approaches for an aggressive cancer with limited effective treatment options.
The company’s research and development activities span the United States and Europe, supported by teams with experience in drug discovery, cell therapy and biotechnology company development.
Experienced leadership in biotechnology
ACTx was founded by professionals with extensive experience in pharmaceutical research, drug development and biotechnology leadership.
Its founding team includes Dr. Paul Stoffels, former Chief Scientific Officer of Johnson & Johnson and former Chief Executive Officer of Galapagos; Dr. John Mellors, Chief Scientific Officer of ACTx and Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh; and Peter Verhaeghe, a life sciences and corporate finance professional and former chair of argenx.
The leadership team brings experience in translating scientific discoveries into therapeutic development programmes and building biotechnology businesses.
Mankind Pharma’s innovation-led expansion
For Mankind Pharma, the investment provides access to differentiated cell-therapy platforms, scientific expertise and a pipeline of experimental cancer therapies. The company said the transaction is an initial step towards building a global pipeline of innovative medicines.
Arjun Juneja, Chief Operating Officer of Mankind Pharma, said innovation would be a key growth driver for the company over the coming decades. He highlighted the potential to develop multiple next-generation CAR-T candidates and the company’s long-term ambition to make transformative therapies more accessible to patients in India and globally.
Dr. Paul Stoffels, Chair of the Board of ACTx, said the partnership would provide the company with additional backing to advance its efforts to develop more potent and durable CAR-T therapies.
What this means for cancer treatment
The proposed acquisition signals growing interest from Indian pharmaceutical companies in advanced therapeutic modalities beyond conventional medicines. CAR-T therapies represent an important area of cancer innovation, particularly as researchers seek to improve treatment durability and extend cell-based approaches to solid tumours.
However, ACTx’s programmes remain in development, and their potential clinical benefit will need to be established through further research and clinical evaluation. The acquisition creates an opportunity for Mankind Pharma to participate in this emerging field while expanding its international research footprint.
Source: Mankind Pharma’s official announcement
