Oncology

Health Canada has granted approval for Celltrion Healthcare’s bevacizumab biosimilar (Vegzelma) referencing Avastin for the treatment of multiple forms of cancer.

The top 5 most-read articles about oncology within the biosimilars industry involved a number of FDA approvals and new data on the market impact of biosimilar competition on Roche’s blockbuster reference products.

After receiving FDA approval in February 2022, Amneal Pharmaeuticals and Kashiv Biosciences launched Releuko (filgrastim-ayow) on the US market, making it the fourth biosimilar referencing Neupogen to be commercially available to Americans.

A review explored the 3 main administration options for pegfilgrastim biosimilars, finding that providers should consider the ease and frequency to which patients will need to travel to a clinic for administration as well as their preferences when choosing a mode of administration.

Organon Canada launches 2 biosimilars referencing Avastin (bevacizumab) and Herceptin (trastuzumab), China became the first country to approve a denosumab biosimilar, and Optum Rx, a large pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), said that it will add adalimumab biosimilars to formulary.

The efficacy and safety of bevacizumab biosimilars in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) is comparable with the reference product (Avastin) and each other, according to a meta-analysis.

Joseph Alvarnas, MD, vice president of government affairs at City of Hope and chief clinical adviser of AccessHope, explains what the recent FDA approvals of Stimufend and Vegzelma, 2 oncology biosimilars, says about the current state of the oncology biosimilar space.

Abstracts presented at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Nexus meeting explored the adoption of infliximab biosimilars, utilization patterns of bevacizumab biosimilars in ophthalmology and oncology settings, and the budget impact of transferring patients to a natalizumab biosimilar from the originator.

Authors of a systematic review summarized the results of 21 published studies on the efficacy, safety, and cost-benefit ratio of trastuzumab biosimilars in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer.

A study from the Republic of Korea confirmed the safety and efficacy of Herzuma (CT-P16) in patients with heavily pretreated human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Recently, the US got 2 new biosimilars on the market, a bevacizumab and an interchangeable ranibizumab; Amneal Pharmaceuticals filed for marketing authorization in Europe; and Sandoz released positive results for a denosumab candidate.

In addition to our month-long series preparing for the 2023 introduction of adalimumab biosimilars, September featured a number of updates for oncology biosimilars, including 2 FDA approvals and the withdrawal of a European application.

Vegzelma became the fourth biosimilar referencing Avastin (bevacizumab) to be approved for use in the United States for several types of cancer.

Health Canada approved Lupin Limited’s Rymti, the third etanercept biosimilar to be granted regulatory approval in the country. Meanwhile, Prestige Biopharma announced that it withdrew its European application for its trastuzumab biosimilar.

Ivo Abraham, PhD, chief scientist of Matrix45 and a professor at the University of Arizona, chronicles how drug prices as a result of biosimilar competition has evolved over time and what factors may contribute the most to price erosion.

As the United Kingdom adds another oncology biosimilar to its collection, the European Medicine Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) gave a positive opinion for another ranibizumab candidate.

Fresenius Kabi announced the FDA approval of its pegfilgrastim biosimilar referencing Neulasta, making it the sixth pegfilgrastim biosimilar to be approved in the United States.

The European Commission (EC) authorized Celltrion Healthcare’s bevacizumab biosimilar referencing Avastin for marketing across the European Union, making it the seventh bevacizumab biosimilar to be approved in the region.

Trials for denosumab biosimilars are ramping up and researchers are concerned whether patients with cancer switching to biosimilars have been adequately informed beforehand.

The deal follows a string of trials and settlements totaling $550 million in separate cases around the country.

Prestige Biopharma and Intas Pharmaceuticals join forces to partner on a bevacizumab biosimilar for multiple countries, and Hikma Pharmaceuticals makes a deal with Celltrion Healthcare for the commercialization of an adalimumab biosimilar.

The first 2 years of the program created $26.9 million in cost savings and “biosimilar adoption rates that greatly exceed the US national average."

The biosimilar candidate would reference Prolia, used in the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and to treat bone loss in adult men and women who are at increased risk of fracture. It is also planned as a biosimilar for Xgeva, which is indicated to prevent skeletal fractures in patients with cancer.

Posters from the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting showed the safety and efficacy of a trastuzumab biosimilar and a denosumab biosimilar in different types of cancer.

Abstracts from the European Hematology Association Congress 2022 confirmed comparable safety and effectiveness profiles between 2 rituximab biosimilars and the reference product (Rituxan) in patients with large B-cell lymphoma.

Amgen's early view said health care savings from the use of these biologic therapies climbed to $3 billion in the second quarter of 2022, for total of $18 billion over the past 6 years.

A survey study found that many patients with breast cancer reported receiving inadequate information regarding switching from Herceptin to a trastuzumab biosimilar, with some patients reporting that they were never told a switch occurred or what a biosimilar was.

In the first human study of Shanghai Henlius Biotech's pertuzumab biosimilar candidate (HLX11), investigators found similar pharmacokinetic (PK), safety, and immunogenicity profiles between the biosimilar and the reference product (Perjeta).

Abstracts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting took a look at the impact biosimilar substitution and increased biosimilar adoption had on spending within practices participating in value-based payment models and the Oncology Care Model.

The FDA granted a new indication for rheumatoid arthritis for Riabni, a rituximab biosimilar, and Organon and Shanghai Henlius Biotech entered into a licensing agreement for 2 oncology biosimilar candidates.