Biosimilars
Boehringer Ingelheim joins other Big Pharma going into biosimilars
Big Pharma is once again taking a major interest in biosimilars. The latest big pharmaceutical player to show an interest is biopharmaceutical specialist Boehringer Ingelheim. The German-based company announced on 26 September 2011 that it would create a dedicated division for the development and commercialisation of biosimilars.
Amphastar’s biosimilar enoxaparin approved by FDA – Momenta launches lawsuit
On 19 September 2011, and after years of conflict with FDA, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (Amphastar) finally received approval to market a biosimilar version of sanofi-aventis’s blockbuster blood-thinner Lovenox (enoxaparin). The announcement, however, was closely followed by news that Momenta Pharmaceuticals (Momenta) had launched a lawsuit against Amphastar.
EMA biosimilar regulation should include complex biologicals
The EMA’s comprehensive biosimilar regulatory pathway, which includes the need for new clinical trials and comparability studies that demonstrate quality, efficacy, and safety, should be expanded to include complex biologicals, according to innovation researchers at Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands [1].
Generics and biosimilars affected by Obama’s deficit plans
US President Barack Obama’s plan for economic growth and deficit reduction, announced on 19 September 2011, recommends a series of healthcare reforms. The proposals include higher drug rebates for low-income patients, banning pay-to-delay deals between generics and originator companies and reducing biologicals exclusivity from 12 to seven years. The proposals aim to save US$320 billion in healthcare spending over 10 years.
US biosimilars law may prove a barrier to entry for biosimilars
One of the main barriers to biosimilar entry in the US is the US biosimilars law [1]. While some have questioned whether the biosimilars pathway in the US will ever be used [2, 3], others believe that, although flawed, the US biosimilars pathway is likely to become a functioning legal pathway [4].
The biosimilars landscape
There is obviously a market for biosimilars. This is driven by the cost savings to be made by payers and patients alike. By 2015, IMS Health (IMS) expects spending on biosimilars to exceed US$2 billion annually, or about 1% of total global spending on biologicals. They expect new biosimilars to enter the US market by 2014 and European markets to have additional biosimilar molecules introduced during this period [1].
Sanofi announces new long-term objectives
At a ‘strategy and outlook’ seminar for investors held on 6 September 2011, sanofi-aventis (sanofi) CEO Mr Christopher A Viehbacher commented on the group’s outlook. The group has undergone radical changes since 2008, when it was faced with losing several blockbuster drugs over a relatively short time period, the so-called ‘patent cliff’. The main action sanofi took was to buy biotech company Genzyme and thus gain access to the biosimilars, rare diseases and multiple sclerosis markets. However, other actions not so interesting to the media have also played a great part in the company’s repositioning.
EMA comparability studies limiting biosimilar success
The EMA’s comprehensive biosimilar regulatory pathway, which includes the need for new clinical trials and comparability studies that demonstrate quality, efficacy, and safety, is a barrier for the development of clinically superior compounds, according to innovation researchers at Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands [1].
Biosimilars: barriers to entry and profitability in the EU and US
The implications of the US biosimilars law and the pending patent expiries of the 12 major biological products in the EU and the US will have an impact on the profitability and viability of the biosimilars industry [1].
The market for global and European biosimilars
Due to expiring patents for brand name products, cheaper generics are expected to grab market share [1]. This is not surprising due to the list of blockbuster drugs losing their patent protection in 2011 and 2012. These include the world’s best-selling drug, Lipitor (atorvastatin), which in 2010 had almost US$13 billion in worldwide sales, accounting for 15.8% of Pfizer’s total revenue [2].
