Cadila Launches Fourth Biosimilar in 2 Months

Continuing with its string of recent biosimilar launches, Cadila Pharmaceuticals has put an adalimumab biosimilar (Cadalimab) on the Indian market. The drug is available in a prefilled syringe, 40 mg/0.8 ml.

Adalimumab is an antirheumatic drug for the treatment of arthritis, plaque psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn disease, and ulcerative colitis. It references Humira, an AbbVie product, which had net revenues in 2019 of $19.2 billion, $14.9 billion of that in the United States, where the product does not yet face biosimilar competition. By binding with tumor necrosis factor-alpha, the drug helps to prevent inflammation.

A Large Potential Market

There is a potentially large market for Cadalimab. Cadila, based in Ahmedabad, India, noted that roughly 7 million individuals in India have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 2.8% of the population has psoriasis. Adalimumab is currently marketed in over 60 countries by multiple companies, according to Transparency Market Research, which noted that the high cost of adalimumab ($2000-$3000 per month) is a barrier to uptake.

In the United States, 6 adalimumab biosimilars have been approved but market entry is not anticipated for any of them before 2023, owing to product exclusivity rights. Mordor Intelligence has forecast an anual growth rate for the adalimumab of 5.1% through 2025, predicting the fastest growth for adalimumab biosimilars in the Asia Pacific region, including India and China, where health care consumers are highly responsive to price changes.

“While these are not life-threatening, psoriasis and RA can be painful to live with. With the launch of Cadalimab, we want to reach these patients with a cost-effective solution and give them a chance at a better life,” Amit Ajmera, company vice president, said in a statement.

Cadila noted this marks the fourth biosimilar launch in the past 2 months. In early August 2020, Cadila launched a teriparatide biosimilar (NuPTH), referencing Lilly’s Forteo, for the treatment of osteoporosis.

In late July, Cadila launched a rituximab (Ritucad), for the treatment of blood cancer, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and rheumatoid arthritis, and a bevacizumab (Bevaro), for the treatment of ovarian cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, and kidney cancer. The rituximab biosimilar references Rituxan (Biogen) and the bevacizumab biosimilar, Avastin (Genentech).

Cadila, one of the largest privately held pharmaceutical companies in India, suggested it may have more biosimilar products to launch later this year.