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Rituximab gets US FDA approval for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Biosimilars/News | Posted 10/03/2010

The US FDA has approved Roche’s Genentech/Biogen Idec's anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody Rituxan/MabThera (rituximab) plus chemotherapy for people with either previously untreated or previously treated (relapsed or refractory) chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

As pointed out by Scrip, MabThera was approved in the EU in 2009 for these same indications. However, US approval was held up by a complete response letter issued by the FDA in November 2009. The companies said then that the agency had not requested any new data to complete its review of these applications, but that they were continuing final labelling discussions.

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How to tackle overcapacity in monoclonal antibody production

Biosimilars/News | Posted 09/03/2010

In the early days, most monoclonal antibody (MAb) therapies required high dosages, as pointed out by Ms Gail Dutton in a Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Feature Article on 15 February 2010 (see also Monoclonal antibodies modelling - predictive analytics, Improving monoclonal antibody production - antibody-drug conjugate technology and Modern monoclonal antibody production - focus on quality by design, timelines, cost)

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Monoclonal antibodies modelling - predictive analytics

Biosimilars/News | Posted 09/03/2010

Improved analytics is helping to ensure that the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) quality attributes of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are identified as early as possible, determining both the desirable and undesirable characteristics, as pointed out by Ms Gail Dutton in a Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Feature Article on 15 February 2010 (see also How to tackle overcapacity in monoclonal antibody production, Improving monoclonal antibody production - antibody-drug conjugate technology and Modern monoclonal antibody production - focus on quality by design, timelines, cost)

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Improving monoclonal antibody production - antibody-drug conjugate technology

Biosimilars/News | Posted 09/03/2010

Researchers are developing new approaches to improve monoclonal antibody (MAb) production, as pointed out by Ms Gail Dutton in a Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Feature Article on 15 February 2010 (see also How to tackle overcapacity in monoclonal antibody production, Monoclonal antibodies modelling - predictive analytics and Modern monoclonal antibody production - focus on quality by design, timelines, cost)

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Modern monoclonal antibody production - focus on quality by design, timelines, cost

Biosimilars/News | Posted 09/03/2010

In the decade since severe capacity constraints limited monoclonal antibody (MAb) production, the industry has adjusted, so that today, overcapacity is the issue, along with developing techniques to ensure product quality, reduce development timelines, and decrease costs, writes Ms Gail Dutton in a Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Feature Article on 15 February 2010. Many of these issues will be explored at IBC’s conference on ‘Antibody Development and Production’ in March 2010 as she points out.

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Will the EU biosimilars pathway be applicable to monoclonal antibodies?

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 08/03/2010

To what extent is the existing framework for biosimilars in Europe likely to be applicable to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)? This question was verified in a paper by Dr Christian Schneider –member of the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal products for Human Use (CHMP), Chairman of EMA’s Biological Medicines Working Party (BMWP) and the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in Langen, Germany– and Dr Ulrich Kalinke of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut and Twincore Center for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research in Hannover, Germany, as published in Nature Biotechnology of September 2008.

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A follow-on biologic drug is not a ‘biogeneric’: Lessons from Omnitrope and Valtropin

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 08/03/2010

In an article by Dr Robert Roth and Dr Nicholas Fleischer of the Weinberg Group published in Journal of Generic Medicines of May 2009, it is stated that a follow-on biologic drug is not a ‘biogeneric’, based on lessons from Sandoz’s biosimilar human growth hormone Omnitrope (somatropin) and BioPartners’ Valtropin (somatropin).

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PhRMA, Amgen correct NEJM article on biologics exclusivity

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 05/03/2010

In a NEJM Letter to the Editor of 18 February 2010, Mr David Wheadon, Senior Vice President of the Scientific & Regulatory Affairs team of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America 
(PhRMA) –having been employed by several pharmaceutical companies (Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott) and holding stock in Abbott Laboratories and GlaxoSmithKline– corrects the NEJM Perspective article by Mr Engelberg et al. of 12 November 2009, writing that “the record should be set straight” with regard to the market exclusivity of biologicals in the biosimilars debate.

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FDA approves Amgen’s and Johnson & Johnson's the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs)

Biosimilars/News | Posted 05/03/2010

Amgen and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced on 16 February 2010 that the US FDA approved the companies' risk management strategy for patients with chemotherapy-induced anaemia who are receiving erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), including Amgen's Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa) and Epogen (epoetin alfa), and Johnson & Johnson's Procrit (epoetin alfa).

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Improving effector functions of MAbs for cancer treatment: Enhancing antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC)

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 04/03/2010

Mr Akito Natsume et al. of Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Machida-shi, Tokyo, Japan, have shown to improve effector functions of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) for cancer treatment by enhancing ADCC and CDC, as published in their review article in Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2009:3 of December 2008.