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Small Step for Pfizer's Biosimilars; Leap for Its COVID-19 Vaccine
Pfizer reported strong sales for its biosimilars portfolio, but these were eclipsed by the massive success of the company's mRNA vaccine for COVID-19.
Pfizer reported second-quarter 2021 biosimilar revenues up 88% from the comparable second quarter of 2020. These were dwarfed, however, by sales of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Biosimilar sales for the second quarter of 2021 were $559 million globally, primarily fueled by the launches of bevacizumab (Zirabev), rituximab (Ruxience), and trastuzumab (Trazimera) biosimilars.
The company also reported ongoing growth in sales of its epoetin alfa biosimilar (Retacrit) in the United States. Retacrit was launched in 2018 and remains the only epoetin biosimilar in the United States.
Pfizer also reported a 19% decline in global sales of its etanercept originator product (Enbrel) owing to biosimilar competition in Europe and Japan. Enbrel does not yet face biosimilar competition in the United States.
Although growth in biosimilar sales at Pfizer has been robust over the past year, the company’s core business focus is now commercialization of its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) and regulatory interaction globally to broaden access and flexibility for use of this product.
Pfizer said it anticipates 2021 revenues of $33.5 billion for BNT162b2, which reflects 2.1 billion doses that Pfizer had contracted to deliver as of mid-July 2021. The company reported overall second quarter 2021 revenues of $19 billion, up 86% from the comparable 2020 quarter.
Without the COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer’s revenues would have climbed just 10% overall, to $11.1 billion, the company said.
For a report on the company’s first quarter 2021 revenues, click here.
Biosimilars Development Roundup for October 2024—Podcast Edition
November 3rd 2024On this episode of Not So Different, we discuss the GRx+Biosims conference, which included discussions on data transparency, artificial intelligence (AI), and collaboration to enhance the global supply chain for biosimilars and generic drugs, as well as the evolving requirements for biosimilar devices.
Review Confirms Clinical Safety of Sandoz Denosumab Biosimilar vs Originator
December 11th 2024Sandoz's biosimilar denosumab (Jubbonti/Wyost) has demonstrated analytical, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and clinical equivalence to reference denosumab (Prolia/Xgeva), supporting its approval and extrapolation to all approved indications.
Biosimilars Oncology Roundup for June 2024—Podcast Edition
July 7th 2024On this episode of Not So Different, we review biosimilar news coming out of June, with clinical trial results from conferences and a study showcasing how to overcome economic and noneconomic barriers to oncology biosimilars.
Eye on Pharma: Golimumab Biosimilar Update; Korea Approves Denosumab; Xbrane, Intas Collaboration
December 10th 2024Alvotech and Advanz Pharma have submitted a European marketing application for their golimumab biosimilar to treat inflammatory diseases, while Celltrion secured Korean approval for denosumab biosimilars, and Intas Pharmaceuticals partnered with Xbrane Biopharma on a nivolumab biosimilar.
Pertuzumab Biosimilar Shows Promise in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Treatment
December 9th 2024The proposed pertuzumab biosimilar QL1209 demonstrated equivalent efficacy and safety to reference pertuzumab (Perjeta) in neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive, ER/PR-negative early or locally advanced breast cancer, offering a cost-effective alternative with comparable clinical outcomes.
