Welcome to the Big Molecule Watch!

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Goodwin’s award-winning Big Molecule Watch is the best resource for daily updates and analyses of regulatory issues, litigation, legislation, and other news in the world of biologics, biosimilars and related technologies. The editors of this blog have collectively been watching and engaging with the world of biologics and biosimilars (“big molecules”) since before the inception of the biosimilar industry in the U.S.  With extensive experience representing clients at all stages of a biologic’s or biosimilar’s lifecycle, from research and development, to patents, to regulatory application and approval, and through litigation and appeals, we are excited to share our observations and insights as the industry and the law continues to develop in this exciting area.

This blog focuses on “big molecules” as opposed to “small molecules.” Small molecule drugs have low molecular weight, a simple and well-defined structure, and are chemically synthesized. In contrast, “big molecule” drugs have high molecular weight, complex structures, and are derived from living organisms. For example, aspirin is small molecule while a monoclonal antibody is a big molecule. For further reading on big molecules, consider FDA's resources on biologics.

Amgen’s Brief in Opposition to Sandoz’s Petition for Supreme Court Review, and Amicus Brief by The Biosimilars Council in Support of Sandoz

As we posted yesterday, Amgen has filed a brief in opposition to Sandoz’s petition to the Supreme Court for review of the Federal Circuit’s decision in Amgen v. Sandoz.  Amgen’s brief is now available here. The Biosimilars Council also filed a brief, as amicus curiae in support of Sandoz’s petition.  Their…

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IGBA and GPhA Oppose WHO’s Biological Qualifier Approach

As we have previously reported, the WHO is considering a proposal to assign Biological Qualifiers (BQs), which are alphabetic codes assigned at random, to help standardize naming of biologics. But not everyone is on board with the WHO’s proposal. The International Generic and Biosimilar medicines Association (IGBA) has recently called…

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FDA Releases Internal Workload Study

The Biosimilar User Fee Act (BsUFA) requires FDA to contract with an independent accounting or consulting firm to study the workload volume and full costs associated with the process for the review of biosimilar biological product applications. On February 24, 2016, the FDA released the Final Results Report of its…

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