Mankind Pharma on Thursday announced plans to acquire a 70 percent stake in Belgium-based Armed Cell Therapeutics (ACTx) for €48 million (Rs 511 crore), marking its entry into next-generation CAR-T cancer therapies and a significant step towards building a global innovation-led pharmaceutical business.
The acquisition, through its Netherlands subsidiary, gives Mankind access to an advanced cell-therapy research platform and a pipeline targeting non-Hodgkin lymphoma and small-cell lung cancer.
The investment represents a shift in Mankind's acquisition strategy. Its earlier transactions largely strengthened its domestic pharmaceutical portfolio, including the acquisition of oncology and transplant brands from Panacea Biotec Pharma in 2022 and Bharat Serums and Vaccines (BSV) in 2024.
The BSV acquisition expanded Mankind's presence in fertility, women's health and complex biologics, while also adding an international business. The latest deal takes it further into the development of experimental cancer therapies.
Mankind already has a commercial presence across European markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. However, its business remains predominantly India-focused. Exports accounted for 15 per cent of consolidated revenue in the December 2025 quarter, according to its investor presentation.
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The transaction, therefore, deepens its European engagement beyond commercial markets into biotechnology research and development.
ACTx is developing engineered CAR-T cells designed to overcome limitations of existing therapies, including relapse and resistance. Its research programmes span Europe and the US.
“Innovation will be one of the defining growth engines for Mankind over the coming decades,” said Arjun Juneja, chief operating officer, Mankind Pharma.
He said the investment would provide access to differentiated scientific platforms and the potential to develop multiple next-generation CAR-T candidates.
ACTx's founders include Paul Stoffels, former chief scientific officer of Johnson & Johnson, and John Mellors, a University of Pittsburgh professor.
The investment also carries development risks, as the therapies remain experimental and will require further clinical validation before commercialisation.