Rare Disease

Potential developers of orphan drug biosimilars face daunting challenges to get these drugs approved and onto market, said a panel of experts.

Animal toxicology studies contribute little to demonstrations of biosimilarity and yet these studies frequently must be done to satisfy international regulatory requirements, investigators conclude.

The Senate has passed a bill requiring the FDA to provide educational information that supports and promotes the adoption of biosimilars.

Unsustainably low prices for generics are preventing some manufacturers from producing them, while biosimilars are blocked by policies that favor originator drugs, the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) argues.

Biocon and Viatris edge closer to EU marketing authorization for a bevacizumab biosimilar, among other biosimilar business developments.

Biosimilars have come a long way, and their path has mirrored that of generics—fraught with obstacles. Still, a stronger embrace is needed from physicians and payers.

Gary H. Lyman, MD, PhD, provides an expert overview on overcoming the challenges of discussing biosimilars with patients.

Patient characteristics are predictive of whether a switch to a biosimilar is likely to be accepted, investigators found.

Amgen described how a double-edged biosimilars sword has worked for and against the company's profit margin.

Minute differences between biosimilars and reference products are not considered “clinically meaningful,” but these differences are exploitable when it comes to addressing allergies related to originator products.

The International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) hopes to build momentum for the use of biosimilars.

This study of specialty drug spending looks beyond rebates to evaluate growth in spending from 2010 to 2017.

The FDA may require comparative clinical efficacy for biosimilar approval, but on top of all the other required and available evidence, these trials add little value, Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, states.

The strong growth of biosimilars Pfizer recently launched in the United States are part of the success story, although reference etanercept (Enbrel) sales have seen major erosion.

European investigators have derived a set of core principals for developing higher utilization of biosimilars.

DaxibotulinumtoxinA met all end points in a study demonstrating longer duration of action, safety, and tolerability.

Amid the confusion of the pandemic, fundamental business strategies are reshaping the biosimilar playing field, according to corporate earnings reports.

In a settlement announced via a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Alexion said it had settled with Amgen over eculizumab patent disputes, allowing Amgen to bring a competing biosimilar to market in 2025.

The documents include specific ones for hemophilia, retinal disorders, and rare diseases, as well as manufacturing, testing, and patient follow-up.

It is the only biosimilar candidate referencing Soliris to be granted investigational new drug approval in China.

During this week’s 61st meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), researchers reported on eculizumab, a prospective biosimilar, and the long-acting ravulizumab.

Roche’s Japan-based subsidiary, Chugai Pharmaceutical, has filed a new patent infringement suit against Alexion in the District Court of Delaware.

In a research letter appearing this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, authors from Oregon Health and Science University raised the question of whether the “large and increasing revenue from eculizumab” could be tied to off-label use for non-approved indications.

As innovator biologics that have achieved blockbuster sales status reach or near the end of their exclusivities, biosimilar competition is close behind. This week, stakeholders got a closer look at how innovator drug companies are positioning themselves to maintain their sales in the face of such competition.

Genentech has announced that a phase 3 study of its brand-name rituximab, Rituxan, met its primary end point and demonstrated that treatment with rituximab is superior to treatment with mycophenolate mofetil in patients with moderate to severe pemphigus vulgaris (PV), a rate autoimmune disease that affects the skin and mucous membranes.

While eculizumab is being targeted by multiple biosimilar developers who are in phase 3 clinical trials with their competitive products, spending on eculizumab is reaching concerning levels; as such, it is increasingly important to clarify eculizumab’s place in the treatment paradigm for myasthenia gravis (MG).

A small, yet rapidly growing segment of commercially insured US patients have drug costs of more than $250,000 each year, and this group could account for 15% of all drug expenditures in the next 5 years.

This week, Russian drug maker Generium announced that it has received approval for—and has launched—its biosimilar dornase alfa in the Russian marketplace. Generium’s product is the first biosimilar dornase alfa biosimilar to be approved in any market worldwide.

During this week’s meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, held September 11-13 in Stockholm, Sweden, researchers are presenting new data for eculizumab in the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a rare autoimmune disorder that typically affects the optic nerves and spinal cord and that can cause significant, irreversible disability.

Last week, Alexion disclosed in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that the European Patent Office did not grant Alexion its request for 2 patents on its brand-name eculizumab product, Soliris, a C5 complement inhibitor that treats rare and ultrarare diseases.