MPMankind Pharma543904Stake acquisition deal

Board approves 70% stake in Armed Cell Therapeutics via Netherlands arm

Board of Mankind Pharma, at its meeting on October 15, 2026, approved a majority stake acquisition in a Belgium biotech.

By ScoutQuest · Thu 15 Oct 2026, 7:24 PM IST · 3 min read

Stake Acquired

70% stake in Armed Cell Therapeutics B.V. (ACTx)

Investment Amount

EUR 48Mn, in instalments, cash consideration

Aggregate Investment Limit

up to EUR 45Mn; aggregate limit rises to EUR 50Mn (including the earlier EUR 5Mn)

Mankind Pharma's board, at its meeting on October 15, 2026, approved a step into next-generation cell therapy for cancer, along with the funding route for it.

The two decisions

• An additional investment of up to EUR 45Mn in Mankind Pharma (Netherlands) B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, to be made in one or more tranches. This increases the aggregate investment limit to EUR 50Mn, inclusive of the previously approved investment limit of EUR 5Mn.
• The acquisition of a majority stake, that is 70%, in Armed Cell Therapeutics B.V. (ACTx), to be done through Mankind Netherlands.

How the money moves

• Mankind Netherlands will invest EUR 48Mn, in instalments, to acquire the 70% stake in ACTx.
• The consideration is cash.
• This investment into Mankind Netherlands does not change the shareholding percentage of the company in that subsidiary; it continues to remain wholly owned.

What ACTx is

• A Belgium-incorporated biotechnology company developing next-generation armed CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell) therapies for cancer.
• It has a pipeline of next-generation CAR-T assets, with lead programs in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and small cell lung cancer.
• It will pursue innovative means of CAR-T cell therapy including in vivo CAR-T cell generation.
• Its R&D activities are led by teams located in the US and EU. The company is headquartered in Belgium, with operations in the Netherlands, research and pre-clinical operations in Pittsburgh, USA, and early development CAR-T cell therapy activities in Europe, Asia and the United States.
• It was founded by a team with experience in drug development, cell therapy and building companies, including Dr. Paul Stoffels (Chair of the Board, former Chief Executive Officer of Galapagos and former Chief Scientific Officer of Johnson & Johnson), Dr. John Mellors (Chief Scientific Officer) and Mr. Peter Verhaeghe (former Chair of argenx).

What the company says the deal is for

• The update states the investment is part of the company's long term strategy to build a global innovation-led pharmaceutical business, and that the funds will be utilised by Mankind Netherlands to acquire the 70% stake in ACTx.
• Mr. Arjun Juneja, Chief Operating Officer, said innovation will be one of the defining growth engines for the company over the coming decades, and described this investment as the first step in building a global pipeline of breakthrough therapies.

Points a retail investor may note

• The indicative time period for completion of the acquisition is "as per definitive agreement", and any governmental or regulatory approvals required would be those "as may be required in compliance with laws of the host country".
• The investment by the company into Mankind Netherlands is a related party transaction, being with a wholly owned subsidiary, and is stated to be exempt under Regulation 23(5). The investment in ACTx by Mankind Netherlands is not a related party transaction.
• The press release carries a safe harbour statement, which says it may contain forward-looking statements and that such statements involve known and unknown risks which may cause actual results to differ materially.

Company context given in the release

• A field force of 18,500+ professionals, reach to over five lakh doctors across urban and rural markets, 32 manufacturing facilities in India and 7 dedicated R&D facilities backed by more than 740 scientists.

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