India is fast becoming a destination of hope for international cancer patients seeking cutting-edge Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy at a fraction of global costs. Patients from Gulf countries, Europe, and Africa are increasingly travelling to India for this advanced treatment, which remains inaccessible or prohibitively expensive in many of their home nations.
CAR-T therapy, a revolutionary treatment for aggressive blood cancers such as relapsed or refractory leukaemia and lymphoma, involves modifying a patient’s own immune cells to target and destroy cancer. While this therapy offers new hope when conventional treatments fail, it is highly personalized and technically complex, requiring specialized facilities and expert care teams.
Neelam Choudhary, founder and CEO of Pune-based medical travel facilitator Lyfsum, shared that her company has seen a surge in enquiries from patients in countries like the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Kenya. This response followed a digital campaign focusing on blood cancer treatment options.
“I came across CAR-T therapy just a few months ago, and in the past three weeks alone, we’ve built a pipeline of over 50 patients from the UAE and Kenya,” said Choudhary. She attributed this interest to the lack of access and the extremely high cost of CAR-T therapy abroad.
In India, the cost of CAR-T therapy is around ₹50 lakh (inclusive of hospital fees)—significantly lower than the ₹3–4 crore or more charged in the US, UK, Germany, Spain, and other developed countries. Even in China, where CAR-T has gained traction, the therapy can exceed ₹1 crore.
According to Choudhary, most incoming patients are battling leukaemia, followed by lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and sickle cell anaemia. She noted a notable rise in cases from the UAE and parts of Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Patients include both those with insurance and those paying out-of-pocket.
Lyfsum coordinates logistics between international patients and Indian hospitals, arranging travel, stay, and communication with medical teams. The company currently partners with Apollo Hospitals (Hyderabad), Manipal Hospitals (Bengaluru), and Max Healthcare (Delhi) for CAR-T therapy services.
Shirish Arya, Director of Corporate Strategy and Business Development at ImmunoACT—a startup incubated at IIT Bombay—confirmed international interest. “We are receiving global enquiries for our CAR-T therapy,” he said. ImmunoACT has treated around 300 patients so far with its NexCAR19 therapy.
India has so far approved two CAR-T therapies: NexCAR19 by ImmunoACT (approved in October 2023) and Qartemi by Immuneel Therapeutics (approved in January 2025), co-founded by biotech leader Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. Both therapies target CD19 proteins on cancer cells. NexCAR19 is used to treat various B-cell cancers, including B-cell lymphoma and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL), while Qartemi is specific to B-cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (B-NHL).
With its combination of world-class care and cost-effective pricing, India continues to grow as a hub for medical tourism. However, Choudhary emphasizes the need for Indian hospitals to tie up with foreign insurance providers to further boost medical travel.
Despite the international interest, not everyone is enthusiastic. “Even at ₹30–40 lakh, this treatment remains out of reach for most Indian patients. We should focus on making it accessible domestically first,” said a senior oncologist, speaking anonymously.
Blood cancers—comprising lymphoma, leukaemia, and myeloma—represent roughly 8% of all new cancer diagnoses in India. With over 70,000 new cases annually, India ranks third globally in blood cancer incidence, trailing only the US and China.
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