Last week, Health Canada announced that biologic drugs, including biosimilars, will be identified “by their unique brand name and non-proprietary (common) name, without the addition of a product-specific suffix. Both the brand name and non-proprietary name should be used throughout the medication use process so that biologics that share the…
There will soon be a new director of Therapeutic Biologics & Biosimilars Staff (TBBS) in the Office of New Drugs (OND) at the FDA. Dr. Sarah Yim will become the new acting director of TBBS beginning in March. Dr. Yim joined the FDA in 2005 and is currently the director…
Today, the FDA approved Samsung Bioepis’s Ontruzant (trastuzumab-dttb), a biosimilar to Genentech’s Herceptin (trastuzumab), for the treatment of patients with HER2-overexpressing breast cancer and HER2-overexpressing metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Samsung Bioepis’s product is the subject of ongoing BPCIA litigation, pending before the District of Delaware. This is the third biosimilar…
As the government shutdown continues, administrative agencies have been updating the public on their operating status. The FDA has released a statement on its website explaining that its operations will “continue to the extent permitted by law, such as activities necessary to address imminent threats to the safety of human…
In a tweet today, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb stated: “FDA continues to be concerned about branded companies creating confusion about the safety and effectiveness of biosimilars and we’ll take action if we determine a company is deliberately misleading the public about the safety of these important products.” The communication comes in response…
Here are our picks for the most significant U.S. regulatory developments related to biosimilars in 2018: 1. FDA Releases Biosimilars Action Plan In July, FDA released the Biosimilar Action Plan (BAP), which outlines the Administration’s proposed next steps to help reduce the costs of healthcare by expediting the development of…
Today, the FDA approved Celltrion’s Herzuma (trastuzumab-pkrb), a biosimilar that references Genentech’s Herceptin (trastuzumab), for the treatment of patients with HER2-overexpressing breast cancer, in accordance with the FDA-approved label. Celltrion’s product is the subject of ongoing BPCIA litigation, pending before the District of Delaware. This marks the seventh biosimilar the FDA has approved…
Today, the FDA issued four new biosimilar guidances, as well as a proposed rule. According to a statement by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, two of the guidance documents—the draft guidance titled “The ‘Deemed to be a License’ Provision of the BPCI Act Questions and Answers” and the final guidance “Interpretation…
On Wednesday, the FDA approved the first biosimilar to Genentech’s RITUXAN®. The FDA’s press release noted that Teva and Celltrion’s biosimilar TRUXIMA® (rituximab-abbs) is the first biosimilar to be approved in the U.S. for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. TRUXIMA® is indicated for treatment of adult patients for: Relapsed or…
Today, Coherus BioSciences announced that the U.S. FDA has approved Udenyca™ (pegfilgrastim-cbqv), its biosimilar of Amgen’s Neulasta®, for patients with cancer receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Udenyca™, which received marketing authorization in Europe in September, is Coherus’ first biosimilar to obtain approval in the United States. Udenyca™ is the fourteenth biosimilar to…