BioBlast w/e 10 Nov 23

Bayer announced that the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended approval of 8mg Eylea® (aflibercept) intravitreal injection for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME), with treatment intervals of up to five months.

The US FDA approved 8mg Eylea^® in August 2023.

Aflibercept 8 mg was jointly developed by Bayer and Regeneron.  Bayer reported that Regeneron has exclusive rights to Eylea 2mg and 8mg in the US, and Bayer has the exclusive marketing rights outside the US.

Alvotech and its EU partner Stada announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion for ustekinumab Uzpruvo (AVT04), biosimilar to Janssen’s Stelara^®.  This is the first positive CHMP opinion for a Stelara^® biosimilar.

The Alvotech and Stada MAA was accepted by the EMA in February 2023.

Under their 2019 strategic partnership for seven biosimilars, Alvotech is primarily responsible for developing and manufacturing AVT04, and Stada holds commercial rights within Europe.  In May 2023 Alvotech announced that it had terminated the Stada agreement with respect to three biosimilars (excluding ustekinumab), and entered into an agreement with Advanz for Europe for five biosimilars month.

Lupin Limited announced that it has executed an agreement with the pharmaceutical manufacturer Amman Pharmaceuticals Industries for exclusive marketing and commercialisation of a biosimilar to Lucentis^® (ranibizumab) in the middle east region, including Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Biocon announced its consolidated financial results, including a 97% increase in revenue year on year for its Biologics business unit.  Biocon reported that this was largely driven by its acquisition of Viatris’ biosimilars business and growth in market share for its biosimilar portfolio.

A pre-filled pen presentation of Janssen-Cilag’s Stelara® (ustekinumab) injection (90mg/1mL and 45mg/0.5mL) has been listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.

Sandoz announced the inauguration of its new Biosimilar Development Center in Holzkirchen, Germany.  Sandoz invested €25 million in the Holzkirchen lab and received support from the Bavarian State government.  The lab will be a key site for Sandoz biosimilar development.

Regeneron filed a Complaint in the US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia against Celltrion asserting infringement of 38 US aflibercept patents.  The allegations relate to Celltrion’s abbreviated Biologics Drug Application (aBLA) filed with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 30 June 2023 for CT-P42, biosimilar to Regeneron’s Eylea® (aflibercept), an intravitreal treatment for age-related macular degeneration and other VEGF-mediated eye conditions.

The Complaint states that Celltrion has served a Notice of Commercial Marketing and that its aBLA may be approved as soon as 18 May 2024, the regulatory exclusivity expiry date for Regeneron’s Eylea®.

In March, the US PTAB instituted Celltrion’s IPR challenges to two of these patents, US 10,888,601 and US 10,130,681.

The FDA approved Eli Lilly’s Zepbound™ (Tirzepatide) as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adults with a specified initial body mass index (BMI).  Tirzepatide is a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist.  Eli Lilly’s other tirzepatide product, Mounjaro™, was approved in May 2022 as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Takeda announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Fruzaqla™ (fruquintinib) for the oral treatment of adults with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (mCRC) who have been previously treated with fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, an anti-VEGF therapy, and, if RAS wild-type and medically appropriate, an anti-EGFR therapy.    This is the first US approval of fruquintinib.

Samsung Bioepis and Organon announced that the US FDA has accepted for review their Supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) seeking interchangeability designation for Hadlima™ (adalimumab-bwwd) injection 40 mg/0.4 mL, biosimilar to Humira® (adalimumab).  The sBLA was submitted to the FDA by Samsung Bioepis in August 2023.

Samsung Bioepis and Organon announced the interchangeability results for Hadlima™ in August .

The FDA has designated both Boehringer Ingelheim’s Cyltezo® (adalimumab-adbm) and Pfizer’s Abrilada® as interchangeable biosimilars to Humira®.  The FDA has accepted Alvotech’s BLA for AVT02, its high concentration, interchangeable biosimilar, with a goal date of 24 February 2024.  Celltrion is also seeking an interchangeability designation for its approved biosimilar Yuflyma®, which it reported is tentatively expected in Q4 2024.

The Korea Economic Daily reported that Celltrion announced record quarterly earnings, with an operating profit of ₩276.6 billion, an increase of 25.2% the same period in 2022, and estimated profit and revenue respectively of ₩220 billion and ₩620 billion.  Celltrion’s key marketed products include biosimilars Yuflyma^® (adalimumab), Remsima^® SC/Zymfentra^® (infliximab), Truxima^® (rituximab) and Herzuma^® (trastuzumab).

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revised the existing indication for Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma in combination with trastuzumab, fluoropyrimidine, and platinum-containing chemotherapy.  The updated indication is restricted to patients whose tumors express PD-L1 (Combined Positive Scope [CPS] ≥ 1) as determined by an FDA-approved test.  Both the original and updated indication were approved under accelerated approval regulations.

The same indication was approved in Europe in August 2023, similarly limited to adults whose tumors express PD-L1 ( [CPS]≥1).

Amgen announced in its Q3 2023 results that the FDA has accepted its Biologics License Application (BLA) for ABP 938, its biosimilar to Regeneron’s Eylea® (aflibercept).  Amgen did not include the FDA target action date in its announcement.

On 29 August 2023, the FDA accepted Formycon’s BLA for FYB203, its biosimilar to Eylea®.

It has been reported that the Munich Regional Court has issued a preliminary injunction against Formycon’s manufacture of FYB202, its Stelara® (ustekinumab) biosimilar, in Germany until expiry of Janssen’s SPC on its basic ustekinumab patent on 20 July 2024.  According to the reports, the decision reflected the arguments submitted by Janssen that in order to rely on the EU manufacturing waiver to export FYB202 before SPC expiry, Formycon was required to produce a relevant marketing authorisation in a country outside the EU in which the SPC was not in force, and had not done so.

FYB202 is not approved in the EU.  Formycon and its commercialisation partner Fresenius Kabi announced in September 2023 that their MAA for FYB202 has been accepted for review by the EMA.

A Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceuticals sponsored study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology has found that HS016, biosimilar to AbbVie’s Humira® (adalimumab) was safe and effective in Chinese inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.

Hisun completed its stage III clinical trials of HS016 back in early 2020.