United States: On July 13, an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend approval of Sandoz’s biosimilar to Enbrel® (etanercept). The recommendation was to approve the biosimilar for all indications for which Enbrel® is currently approved: rheumatoid arthritis, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.- Asia: On July 15, Biocon and Fujifilm launched their biosimilar to Sanofi’s Lantus (insulin glargine) in Japan. Insulin glargine is indicated for treating diabetes.
- Europe: Samsung Bioepis announced on July 17 that the EMA has accepted its Marketing Authorization Application for a biosimilar to Humira® (adalimumab). If approved, marketing of this product will be handled by Biogen. Adalimumab is indicated for treating rheumatoid arthritis, plaque psoriasis, Chron’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis