The agreement enables Reliance Life Sciences to springboard into the US market using Medicure's commercial reach.
Medicure said it has entered an agreement with Reliance Life Sciences (RLS) to market an unnamed cardiovascular biosimilar. Medicure, a Canadian company based in Winnipeg, Alberta, referred to the biosimilar candidate only as “the product.”
As yet, RLS, based in Navi Mumbai, India, has no FDA biosimilar approvals for the US market.
RLS is a diverse pharmaceuticals company with a focus on biotherapeutics, including biosimilars, regenerative medicine, pharmaceuticals, clinical research services, and molecular medicine.
Building Up Medicure's Cardiovascular Portfolio
The agreement gives Medicure exclusive rights to market the agent in the United States, Canada, and the European Union.
"We are very pleased with the agreement we have reached with RLS. The product fits well with Medicure's mission of being a significant cardiovascular company focused on the US market," Albert Friesen, CEO of Medicure, said in a statement.
According to a 2018 analysis by IQVIA, RLS had 14 biosimilars in its pipeline, making it one of the leading biosimilar developers at the time. The Medicure statement described RLS as a company with $86 billion in annual revenues.
Medicure specializes in the development and commercialization of cardiovascular therapies. Two of the products in its portfolio are tirofiban hydrochloride (Aggrastat), an anticoagulant, and pitavastatin (Zypitamag), a cholesterol-lowering statin. Both of these products are marketed in the United States.
No further details of the biosimilar agreement or marketing plan were provided.
Biosimilar Market Development Requires Strategic Flexibility and Global Partnerships
April 29th 2025Thriving in the evolving biosimilar market demands bold collaboration, early global partnerships, and a fresh approach to development strategies to overcome uncertainty and drive future success.
How AI Can Help Address Cost-Related Nonadherence to Biologic, Biosimilar Treatment
March 9th 2025Despite saving billions, biosimilars still account for only a small share of the biologics market—what's standing in the way of broader adoption and how can artificial intelligence (AI) help change that?
BioRationality: EMA Accepts Waiver of Clinical Efficacy Testing of Biosimilars
April 21st 2025Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, shares his latest citizen's petition to the FDA, calling on the agency to waive clinical efficacy testing in response to the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) efforts towards the same goal.
Will the FTC Be More PBM-Friendly Under a Second Trump Administration?
February 23rd 2025On this episode of Not So Different, we explore the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) second interim report on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) with Joe Wisniewski from Turquoise Health, discussing key issues like preferential reimbursement, drug pricing transparency, biosimilars, shifting regulations, and how a second Trump administration could reshape PBM practices.
Latest Biosimilar Deals Signal Growth Across Immunology, Oncology Markets
April 14th 2025During Q1 2025, pharmaceutical companies accelerated biosimilar expansion through strategic acquisitions and partnerships in hopes of boosting patient access to lower-cost treatments in immunology and oncology.