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YL Biologics, a partnership forged between Lupin Pharmaceuticals and Yoshindo Inc to develop and market biosimilar therapies, has announced the successful completion of a global, phase 3 clinical trial of its proposed etanercept biosimilar, YLB113.

The fourth-quarter and full-year 2017 earnings report from Amgen highlights the fact that biosimilars can be both a challenge and an opportunity for drug makers whose innovator products face biosimilar competition and who develop biosimilar products of their own.

Former Representative Henry Waxman told The Center for Biosimilars® in an email that the CREATES Act “…tackles one of the numerous problems driving high drug prices—drug manufacturers’ use of anti-competitive tactics to block access to generic drugs.

Biosimilars have begun to erode sales of Roche’s innovator rituximab (MabThera in Europe, Rituxan in the United States), according to the drug maker’s 2017 annual report.

A cross-sectional study published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy in late 2017 found that the uptake of biosimilars in the United Kingdom has been highly variable and generally lower than expected.

The Center for Biosimilars recaps the top 5 biosimilars articles for the week of January 29, 2018.

Biosimilars have reached a tipping point in the US market, according to a new drug pricing forecast from consulting company Vizient.

The FDA has issued a warning letter to Celltrion, maker of the infliximab biosimilar Inflectra. The company announced today that, on January 30, the company received a letter from the agency that “raises issues related to certain manufacturing process[es]” at its Incheon, Republic of Korea facility.

Higher levels of cancer-related financial toxicity are associated with decreased quality of life, poorer treatment adherence, and poorer survival for adult patients with cancer.

Trump said of Azar, who was confirmed by a vote of 55 to 43 on January 24 to replace Tom Price, MD, as Secretary of HHS, “He’s going to get those prescription drug prices way down…it’s going to come rocketing down.”

Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and CEO, said that reducing healthcare’s burden on the economy while improving outcomes for employees and their families would be worth the effort, and the 3 companies had the talented experts with fresh approaches and a long-term orientation that will be key to success.

Samsung Bioepis, the joint venture between Samsung BioLogics and Biogen, is expected to post its first profits in 2018, according to estimates made by a Republic of a Korea-based securities firm.

On Friday, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion on and recommended a marketing authorization for Mylan and Biocon’s Semglee, an insulin glargine follow-on that will be available in the European Union as a solution for injection for patients with diabetes.

In total, income from Biocon’s biologics division was down 15% for the quarter (compared with the same period for the company’s prior financial year), despite the fact that product sales grew 16% year over year, with increased sales of insulins and biosimilar antibodies. The company’s total net profits declined by 46%.

The Center for Biosimilars recaps the top 5 biosimilars articles for the week of January 22, 2018.

Multiple drug makers are in the process of developing biosimilar candidates to challenge the brand-name Erbitux’s sales.

Pfizer announced today that PF-05280586, the company’s proposed biosimilar to reference rituximab (Rituxan, MabThera), has been shown to be equivalent to the reference in overall response rate for the first-line treatment of patients with CD20-positive, low tumor burden follicular lymphoma.

Three drug developers have made recent strides forward with their biosimilars or proposed biosimilar referencing Enbrel (etanercept), with new product approvals, manufacturing developments, and growing sales.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has launched a survey of pharmaceutical companies to assess their preparedness for the United Kingdom’s upcoming withdrawal from the European Union, as it hopes to identify any concerns about the continued supply of drugs during the Brexit transition.

The report from Trinity Partners details findings from qualitative research with 10 medical directors at US payer organizations, representing plans covering over 100 million commercial and Medicare enrollees in the United States.

Remicade earned approximately $1.47 billion globally in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with $1.62 billion in the same period in 2016. The overall drop in Remicade sales included an 8.5% slide in US sales, a 5.5% increase in sales of US exports, and an 18.7% decline in international sales.

Japanese drug makers Kissei Pharmaceutical Company and JCR Pharmaceuticals have announced positive results of a phase 3 study for JR-131, a proposed biosimilar to darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp).

Four hospital groups, representing approximately 450 US hospitals, are planning to create their own nonprofit generic drug company in a bold move designed to address generic drug shortages and high prices affecting their hospitals.

On January 11, Celltrion and its partner Teva filed 2 new lawsuits against Genentech in a California district court.

Biosimilar developer Sandoz announced today that it has entered into a global partnership with India-based Biocon to develop, manufacture, and commercialize multiple biosimilars targeting immunology and oncology indications.

Sandoz, a division of Novartis, announced today that the FDA has accepted its Biologics License Application (BLA) for a proposed adalimumab biosimilar (referencing AbbVie’s Humira).

At this week’s 36th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, numerous biosimilar developers and reference product sponsors outlined their plans for the future. Our infographic provide 9 key takeaways.

Innovator drug developer Genentech, maker of the biologic therapies Avastin (bevacizumab) and Rituxan (rituximab), faces challenges from biosimilar developers in the United States and abroad. This week saw developments in cases concerning both molecules in US and Japanese courts of law.

At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference that took place this week in San Francisco, California, Republic of Korea-based biotech company Celltrion announced that it is preparing to build a new overseas production plant that will add to the strength of its biosimilar program.

The Center for Biosimilars recaps the top 5 biosimilars articles for the week of January 8, 2018.