Stada’s product is a proposed biosimilar version of Amgen’s Neulasta (pegfilgrastim), which had worldwide sales of US$4.7 billion in 2016. Stada and Hungary-based Richter signed licence and collaboration agreements for the development and marketing of two biosimilars back in August 2011 [1].

The EMA submission for the pair’s pegfilgrastim biosimilar was withdrawn in December 2016 after EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) indicated that the data provided did not allow the committee to conclude a positive benefit-risk assessment. 

The resubmission follows the successful completion of an additional clinical study, which provided data demonstrating biosimilarity of both the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the proposed biosimilar and Neulasta. The pegfilgrastim biosimilar is currently under review by EMA for the same indications as the reference product.

However, in a statement by Stada’s CEO Claudio Albrecht on 8 March 2018, the decision to stop development of the company’s adalimumab biosimilar was announced. The decision comes as part of a move to modernize Stada and to focus its speciality pharmaceuticals, which include biosimilars, on oncology, CNS, diabetes and ophthalmology.

According to Mr Albrecht, ‘changes have to be made in the scheduling of biosimilars development’. He added that ‘we are no longer working on adalimumab because we would not have gotten this product to market on time’.

It is not all bad news for biosimilars development at Stada though. According to Albrecht’s plan, there will be investments of more than Euros 100 million in the next three years in the biosimilars segment alone.

Related article
Stada to in-license adalimumab biosimilar

Reference
1. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Stada and Richter to collaborate on biosimilar development [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2018 Apr 13]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Biosimilars/News/Stada-and-Richter-to-collaborate-on-biosimilar-development

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