Regulatory

Improvements in biosimilars—ones that may give them an advantage such as lower immunogenicity or a new route of administration—may be the key to unlocking a better patient experience, according to Celltrion. In fact, pursuing such so-called “biobetters” may prove to be more important for the drug maker than pursuing interchangeable biosimilars.

The Center for Biosimilars® recaps the top stories for the week of November 4, 2019.

Teva and Celltrion have announced the launch of their biosimilar rituximab, Truxima, in the United States. The product is being offered at a 10% discount to the list price of reference product, Rituxan. The product will begin to reach patients on November 11.

The FDA has issued an establishment inspection report (EIR) for Biocon’s Bengaluru facility, where the drug maker manufactures biosimilars, and the FDA’s inspection of the facility, which took place during August 2019, is now closed.

The FDA has approved Ziextenzo (pegfilgrastim-bmez), Sandoz’s biosimilar pegfilgrastim referencing Neulasta. The biosimilar was approved to decrease the incidence of infection, as manifested by febrile neutropenia, in patients receiving myelosuppressive anticancer treatment. Sandoz plans to launch the product this year.

On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he intends to nominate Stephen Hahn, MD, FASTRO, to be the next FDA commissioner.

A bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate this week aims to address the growing issue of drug shortages.

Given how markets operate, pharmaceutical companies need financial incentives in order to keep providing a reliable stream of high-quality products that otherwise, due to low prices and other factors, might fall into shortage, according to an FDA report about the drug shortages problem released this week.

As biosimilars for innovator biologics advance, drug makers are seeking new indications for products in their portfolios as a means to protect their sales against oncoming—or existing—competition. This month saw 3 notable label developments for drugs made by Janssen, Alexion, and AbbVie.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA), an umbrella organization with members including the Association for Accessible Medicines, Medicines for Europe, and a number of other national and regional generic and biosimilar organizations, have signed a memorandum of understanding.

Yesterday, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion of Mundipharma’s pegfilgrastim biosimilar.

The Center for Biosimilars® recaps the top stories for the week of October 14, 2019.

The Belgian Competition Authority, which contributes to implementing Belgium’s competition policy by addressing anticompetitive practices, announced that it is conducting inspections of some drug makers suspected of having implemented “restrictive practices aimed at limiting, delaying or even preventing the entry into the market or the expansion of biosimilar medicines competing with existing medicines."

Drug shortages are an increasing problem—witness the news this week that the chemotherapy drug vincristine, a mainstay in fighting pediatric cancer, is in such short supply that doctors may be forced to start rationing, according to published reports. On Wednesday, the FDA said fiscal year 2018 saw a record number of generic drug approvals.

The bill prohibits these agreements between brand name and generic drug manufacturers by making them presumptively anticompetitive if the nonreference drug maker receives anything of value from the other company. The bill would make violating these provisions punishable by civil penalty.

The Center for Biosimilars® recaps the top stories for the week of October 7, 2019.

Even as biosimilars of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents are coming to market and advancing through the pipeline, a new agent that may have substantial benefits for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been approved by the FDA: brolucizumab, which sponsor Novartis will sell as Beovu.

The FDA has issued a complete response letter for Tanvex BioPharma’s TX01, a proposed biosimilar filgrastim referencing Neupogen.

The state’s Department of Health and Human Services this week sent letters to firms that did not provide required information about production costs, marketing and advertising costs, patient assistance programs, wholesale acquisition costs, and historical increases, among other information.

The FDA has approved Pfenex’s follow-on teriparatide, PF708, referencing Forteo, for the treatment of osteoporosis in patients at high risk for fractures.

Drug maker Novartis announced that it will seek a fourth indication—nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA)—for its secukinumab (Cosentyx) in the United States after its phase 3 PREVENT trial met its 52-week primary end point.

The FDA has approved another indication for reference rituximab (Rituxan), this time for children with rare vasculitis diseases.

The Center for Biosimilars® recaps the top stories for the week of September 23, 2019.

If and when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is poised to provide its own review structure for biosimilars.

A small investor who currently holds 20 shares of Allergan has filed a proposed securities class action lawsuit seeking to stop its purchase by AbbVie, according to reports.

This month, Elena Wolff-Holz, MD, PhD, chair of the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA’s) Biosimilar Medicinal Products Working Party, together with coauthors from the EMA and the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices in Germany, published a new paper in which the team outlines the extent of clinical confirmation of biosimilarity, taken together with analytical and functional data, that is considered necessary for biosimilar drugs to be approved in Europe.

Today, the FDA released a new suite of resources to educate patients about biosimilars.

During its September 2019 meeting, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued a positive opinion recommending a change to Celltrion’s marketing authorization for its biosimilar infliximab, CT-P13, sold in Europe as Remsima.

The Center for Biosimilars® recaps the top stories for the week of September 16, 2019.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has sided with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and its Janssen division, requiring a dispute between the Remicade maker and Rochester Drug Cooperative to be sent to arbitration.