Biosimilars approved in the US

Biosimilars/General | Posted 14/08/2015 3 Post your comment

Last update: 14 October 2022

In the US, a legal framework for approving biosimilars was established in 2009, via the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (BPCI Act).

The BPCI Act is part of the healthcare reform legislation, which was signed into law on 23 March 2010 by President Barack Obama. The BPCI Act establishes an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are demonstrated to be ‘highly similar’ (biosimilar) to, or ‘interchangeable’ with, a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed biological product.

FDA is still in the process of developing guidelines regarding these types of products and has issued several guidance documents on the subject [1].

Zarxio (filgrastim-sndz) was the first product approved in the US as a biosimilar in 2015 [2]. To date, FDA has approved 38 biosimilars within the product classes of: 1) anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α); 2) monoclonal antibodies; and 3) granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, plus four follow-on biologicals in the product classes of insulin (Admelog, Basaglar and Lusduna) and teriparatide (PF708), for use in the US, see Table 1. The approval for one insulin glargine and teriparatide follow-on biological (PF708) are tentative pending patent litigation.

Table 1: FDA approved biosimilars and follow-on biologicals*
Product name	Active substance	Therapeutic area	Authorization date	Manufacturer/ Company name
Abrilada (adalimumab-afzb)	adalimumab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Juvenile arthritis Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	15 Nov 2019	Pfizer
Admelog^#	insulin lispro	Diabetes	11 Dec 2017	Sanofi
Alymsys (bevacizumab-maly)	bevacizumab	NSCLC Cervical cancer Colorectal cancer Glioblastoma Ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer Renal cell carcinoma	13 Apr 2022	Amneal Pharmaceuticals
Amjevita (adalimumab-atto)	adalimumab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Juvenile arthritis Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	23 Sep 2016	Amgen
Avsola (infliximab-axxq)	infliximab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	6 Dec 2019	Amgen
Basaglar^#	insulin glargine	Diabetes	16 Dec 2015	Eli Lilly/ Boehringer Ingelheim
Byooviz	ranibizumab	Macular oedema Macular oedema following RVO mCNV Wet AMD	17 Sep 2021	Samsung Bioepis
Cimerli (ranibizumab-eqrn)	ranibizumab	Diabetic macular oedema Diabetic retinopathy Macular oedema following RVO mCNV Wet AMD	2 Aug 2022^§	Coherus Biosciences
Cyltezo (adalimumab-adbm)	adalimumab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Juvenile arthritis Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	25 Aug 2017 15 Oct 2021^§	Boehringer Ingelheim
Erelzi (etanercept-szzs)	etanercept	Axial spondyloarthritis Polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis Psoriatic arthritis Plaque psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis	30 Aug 2016	Sandoz
Eticovo (etanercept-ykro)	etanercept	Axial spondyloarthritis Polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis Psoriatic arthritis Plaque psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis	25 Apr 2019	Samsung Bioepis
Fulphila (pegfilgrastim-jmdb)	pegfilgrastim	Febrile neutropenia	4 Jun 2018	Biocon/Mylan
Fylnetra (pegfilgrastim-pbbk)	pegfilgrastim	Febrile neutropenia	26 May 2022	Kashiv Biosciences (Amneal Pharmaceuticals)
Hadlima (adalimumab-bwwd)	adalimumab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Juvenile arthritis Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	23 Jul 2019	Samsung Bioepis
Herzuma (trastuzumab-pkrb)	trastuzumab	Breast cancer	14 Dec 2018	Celltrion/Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
Hulio (adalimumab-fkjp)	adalimumab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Juvenile arthritis Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	6 Jul 2020	Mylan
Hyrimoz (adalimumab-adaz)	adalimumab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Juvenile arthritis Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	30 Oct 2018	Sandoz
Inflectra (infliximab- dyyb)	infliximab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	5 Apr 2016	Pfizer (Hospira)
Ixifi (infliximab-qbtx)	infliximab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	13 Dec 2017	Pfizer
Kanjinti (trastuzumab-anns)	trastuzumab	HER2 breast cancer HER2 metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma	13 Jun 2019	Amgen
Lusduna^# (tentative approval)	insulin glargine	Diabetes	22 Jul 2018	Merck Sharpe & Dohme
Mvasi (bevacizumab-awwb)	bevacizumab	NSCLC Colorectal neoplasms Renal cell carcinoma Ovarian neoplasms Breast neoplasms	14 Sep 2017	Amgen/Allergan
Nivestym (filgrastim-aafi)	filgrastim	Autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell collection and therapy Bone marrow transplantation Cancer Myeloid leukaemia Neutropenia	20 Jul 2018	Pfizer (Hospira)
Nyvepria (pegfilgrastim-apgf)	pegfilgrastim	Febrile neutropenia	10 Jun 2020	Pfizer (Hospira)
Ogivri (trastuzumab-dkst)	trastuzumab	HER2 breast cancer HER2 metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma	1 Dec 2017	Biocon/Mylan
Ontruzant (trastuzumab-dttb)	trastuzumab	HER2 breast cancer HER2 metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma	18 Jan 2019	Samsung Bioepis/Merck
PF708^#(tentative approval)	teriparatide	Osteoporosis	7 Oct 2019	Pfenex
Renflexis (infliximab-abda)	infliximab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	21 Apr 2017	Samsung Bioepis/Merck
Retacrit (epoetin alfa-epbx)	epoetin alfa	Anaemia (chronic kidney disease, Zidovudine, chemotherapy) Reduction of allogeneic red blood cell transfusions	15 May 2018	Pfizer (Hospira)
Releuko (filgrastim-ayow)	filgrastim	Febrile neutropenia	25 Feb 2022	Kashiv Biosciences (Amneal Pharmaceuticals)
Rezvoglar (insulin glargine-aglr)	insulin glargine	Diabetes	Dec 2021	Eli Lilly
Riabni (rituximab-arrx)	rituximab	Chronic lymphocytic leukemia Rheumatoid arthritis Granulomatosis with polyangiitis Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	17 Dec 2020	Amgen
Ruxience (rituximab-pvvr)	rituximab	Chronic lymphocytic leukemia Granulomatosis with polyangiitis Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	23 Jul 2019	Pfizer
Semglee (insulin glargine-yfgn)	insulin glargine	Diabetes	11 Jun 2020 28 Jul 2021^§	Biocon/Viatris (formerly Mylan)
Stimufend (pegfilgrastim-fpgk)	pegfilgratim	Supportive care medicine for patients with non-myeloid cancer	6 Sep 2022	Fresenius Kabi
Trazimera (trastuzumab-qyyp)	trastuzumab	HER2 breast cancer HER2 metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma	11 Mar 2019	Pfizer
Truxima (rituximab-abbs)	rituximab	Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	28 Nov 2018	Celltrion/Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
Udenyca (pegfilgrastim-cbqv)	pegfilgrastim	Febrile neutropenia	2 Nov 2018	Coherus Biosciences
Yusimry (adalimumab-aqvh)	adalimumab	Ankylosing spondylitis Crohn’s disease Juvenile arthritis Psoriatic arthritis Psoriasis Rheumatoid arthritis Ulcerative colitis	17 Dec 2021	Coherus Biosciences
Zarxio (filgrastim-sndz)	filgrastim	Autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell collection and therapy Bone marrow transplantation Cancer Myeloid leukaemia Neutropenia	6 Mar 2015	Sandoz
Ziextenzo (pegfilgrastim-bmez)	pegfilgrastim	Febrile neutropenia	4 Nov 2019	Sandoz
Zirabev (bevacizumab-bvzr)	bevacizumab	Breast neoplasms Colorectal neoplasms NSCLC Ovarian neoplasms Renal cell carcinoma	27 Jun 2019	Pfizer
*Data updated 14 October 2022 ^#Admelog, Basaglar, Lusduna and PF708 were approved via the FDA’s abbreviated 505(b)(2) pathway as follow-on products not as biosimilars. No insulin lispro or glargine products were licensed under the Public Health Service Act at the time of filing, so there was no ‘reference product’ for a proposed biosimilar product. ^§Date approved as an interchangeable biosimilar. Semglee was approved as the first interchangeable biosimilar in the US on 28 July 2021 [6]. AMD: age-related macular degeneration; FDA: US Food and Drug Administration; mCNV: myopic choroidal neovascularization; NSCLC: non-small-cell lung carcinoma; ODAC: Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee; RVO: retinal vein occlusion.

The landmark decision by FDA to approve its first biosimilar came in the wake of a unanimous vote two months earlier by FDA advisors who recommended approval of Zarxio [3]. Sandoz, the generics division of Novartis, already markets its biosimilar filgrastim product under the brand name Zarzio in more than 40 countries outside the US [4].

Most of the products approved so far have been approved as biosimilars, not as interchangeable products. According to the BPCI Act, only a biological that has been approved as interchangeable may be substituted for the reference product without the intervention of the healthcare provider who prescribed the reference product.

FDA has designated placeholder non-proprietary names that include a 4-digit random suffix, for all of the biosimilars that it has approved to date. The agency issued final guidance on the naming of biologicals in January 2017 [5].

The FDA made a landmark decision on 28 July 2021 to approve the insulin glargine biosimilar Semglee (insulin glargine-yfgn) as the first interchangeable biosimilar product approved in the US for the treatment of diabetes [6].

Related articles
Biosimilars approved in Europe

US guidelines for biosimilars

References
1.   GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. US guidelines for biosimilars [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2015 Aug 14]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Guidelines/US-guidelines-for-biosimilars
2.   GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. FDA approves its first biosimilar [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2015 Aug 14]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Biosimilars/News/FDA-approves-its-first-biosimilar
3.   GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. FDA advisers recommend approval of filgrastim biosimilar [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2015 Aug 14]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Biosimilars/News/FDA-advisers-recommend-approval-of-filgrastim-biosimilar
4. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. FDA accepts biosimilar filgrastim application [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2015 Aug 14]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Biosimilars/News/FDA-accepts-biosimilar-filgrastim-application
5.   GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. FDA issues final guidance on naming biologicals [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2018 Feb 9]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Guidelines/FDA-issues-final-guidance-on-naming-biologicals
6.   GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. FDA approves first interchangeable insulin glargine biosimilar [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2022 Jul 1]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Guidelines/FDA-issues-final-guidance-on-naming-biologicals

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Source: US FDA

Comments (3)

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Posted 04/10/2016 by Louis B, GaBI Online Editorial Office

Response to ‘Biosimilars’ posted 18/03/2016

Dear Kauntay Parekh, thank you for your valid and interesting comment on this article. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this subject. We would be delighted if you would consider submitting a short Commentary paper on this topic to GaBI Journal.
Please feel free to reach us at editorial@gabi-journal.net for further information.

Thank you again and we hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards, Louis.

Posted 18/03/2016 by Kauntay Parekh

Biosimilars

Hi, Hemanth Kumar,

1. How many phase I, II, III trials are needed to be conducted for a Biosimilar in US and EU?
Ans: In US and EU, biosimilar applicant has to discuss with drug regulatory authority to decide the clinical trial (CT) pathway for the particular product (For US FDA and for EU EMA). These regulatory authority devise the CT pathway based on the products similarity with reference biologic (Based on analytical data).
Overall, the more similar the biosimilar product to reference product based on analytical data, the lesser CT will be required.

2. What is the trial duration for these trials (In general)?
Ans: Trial duration varies from product to product but generally these trials get completed within 2-4 years.

3. How the development timelines and trial size differ for biosimilars from their reference biologic drugs?
Ans: Unlike reference product sponsor, biosimilar applicant has to prove similarity, efficacy, safety and toxicity data comparable to reference biologic. Hence, the CT size required for biosimilar is smaller than the reference biologic.

Posted 31/08/2015 by Hemanth Kumar G

Biosimilars

Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you very much for your articles and news about Biosimilars and generics world at gabionline.
I observed from one of your articles that it takes less than 2 years for completion of Biosimilar pivotal trials, I have a few queries regarding that.
1. How many phase I, II, III trials are needed to be conducted for a Biosimilar in US and EU?
2. What is the trial duration for these trials (In general) ?
3. How the development timelines and trial size differ for Biosimilars from their reference biologic drugs?

I would be grateful if you can answer these queries

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