Eye on Pharma: Catalent and Valerius to Collaborate on Biosimilars

In an announcement released today, Catalent Biologics and Valerius Biopharma revealed that they will be collaborating on the development and manufacturing of Valerius’ biosimilar products.

Through the partnership, Catalent will be responsible for providing cell line development and manufacturing processes from phase 1 clinical trials through commercial marketing of the an eventual biosimilar product.

“We selected Catalent as our development and manufacturing partner because of their technical knowledge and expertise in the current good manufacturing practices…manufacture of biosimilars, and proven track record in bringing innovative treatments to market,” said Andreas Herrmann, CEO of Valerius.

Catalent utilizes proprietary technology to create production cell lines through the transduction of targeted cells. Reportedly, the company already has produced 7 biosimilars using its technology that are available on the global market.

“We are pleased to partner with Valerius on their biologic-based therapeutics for many important indications. We look forward to supporting them in their goal of producing affordable biosimilars that will provide equal access to medicinal products,” said vice president and general manager of drug substance and bioanalytical services of Catalent Biologics, Mike Reilly.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

This collaboration is the latest in a wave of partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions to date. Last week, Amneal Pharmaceuticals announced it will be combining efforts with Spain-based mAbxience as the exclusive US partner for a potential bevacizumab (Avastin) biosimilar. This agreement marked the third biosimilar deal licensed by Amneal.

Earlier this year, fellow biosimilar developer Mylan, in its Investor Day presentation, highlighted its own partnerships with Biocon, Momenta, and Revance, and emphasized that its strategy includes acquiring biosimilar molecules.

Also this spring, Biogen indicated that it expects to increase its stake in a partnership with Samsung BioLogics in their joint venture, Samsung Bioepis.