Immuneel’s COO, Dr Arun Anand, talks to Scrip about how things are shaping for the Indian start-up’s autologous CD19 directed CAR-T cell therapy and the ‘journey to be traversed’ on the pricing front. He believes India could potentially see cell therapies being commercialized in the next 12 to 18 months.

In wake of the furore caused by OTC cough syrups made by two small Indian companies, former and current US FDA and MHRA officials say quality-related issues are not specific to India. However, while image management needs some work, manufacturers in the country also need to make further improvements to ensure quality.

Private Company Edition: After just seven venture capital rounds of $100m or more in January and February, five have been announced already in March, including a $200m series A round for Cargo Therapeutics, Chroma Medicine’s $135m series B financing and $112m for Noema’s series B.

Biocon Biologics’ CEO indicates that interchangeability may not be pivotal to commercial success in the US for biosimilar adalimumab and that the firm’s Humira rival “checks the key boxes.”