Mankind Pharma has entered into a deal to acquire a 70 per cent ownership stake in Belgium-headquartered Armed Cell Therapeutics B.V. (ACTx), with the transaction valued at €48 million — equivalent to roughly Rs 511.18 crore. With this deal, Mankind Pharma moves into the field of next-generation cancer cell therapies, adding a new dimension to its broader push toward advanced treatment options.
Mankind Pharma (Netherlands) B.V. — a fully owned subsidiary of the Indian pharmaceutical group — serves as the designated vehicle through which the purchase will be executed. A binding agreement to acquire the ownership stake has been executed by the firm. Disbursement of the full amount is structured to occur across a series of cash instalments. Closing the deal remains contingent on obtaining any regulatory clearances that governing bodies in the relevant jurisdictions may require.
A Netherlands-based subsidiary took shape under Mankind's ownership in August 2026, with its remit covering research, development, and therapies in specialised medical areas. CAR-T cell platforms sit at the core of ACTx's work on next-generation oncology therapies, with the company directing its research toward harnessing modified immune cells to target tumours. The treatment functions by taking immune cells from the patient and modifying them to locate and destroy tumour tissue.
A next-generation formulation, referred to internally as armed CAR-T therapy, is in development at the company, with the aim of extending both the reach and durability of cancer treatment. Two disease areas anchor its primary investigative work: non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a haematological malignancy, and small cell lung cancer. A separate line of investigation at ACTx centres on methods that would prompt the human body itself to manufacture cancer-targeting CAR-T cells without removing them for external processing.
In select blood cancer types, CAR-T therapy has generated measurable clinical responses across patient trials. Relapses occur in a portion of patients, and treating solid tumours continues to pose difficulties that researchers have yet to fully overcome. Through refined cell engineering and the incorporation of supplementary biological agents, ACTx works to bolster the body's immune defences where earlier approaches have fallen short.
Through the deal, Mankind Pharma stands to gain a foothold in oncology research alongside scientific knowledge drawn from international networks. Mankind Pharma's Chief Operating Officer, Arjun Juneja, pointed to innovation as a force likely to underpin the company's expansion over the decades ahead. The funding, he noted, was intended as a first move toward assembling an international portfolio of next-generation treatments.
Remarks from ACTx co-founder Paul Stoffels drew attention to how next-generation CAR-T technology holds promise for advancing outcomes in cancer care. ACTx's registered office sits in Belgium, while day-to-day operations extend into the Netherlands and a research programme runs out of Pittsburgh in the United States.
Across India, Mankind Pharma runs a network of 32 production plants and seven R&D hubs, with a research workforce exceeding 740 scientists. Shares of Mankind Pharma ended Thursday's session on the NSE at Rs 2,347.60, edging up 0.54 per cent on the day. Therapies developed by ACTx have not yet cleared the pipeline and are awaiting further testing.
