Approval of Fresenius Kabi’s Tocilizumab Biosimilar in the EU: On September 19, 2023, Fresenius Kabi announced that the European Commission (EC) granted marketing authorization for TYENNE (tocilizumab), a biosimilar referencing Roche’s ROACTEMRA. TYENNE is the first tocilizumab biosimilar approved in the EU. TYENNE received approval for both subcutaneous (prefilled syringe…
On August 29, 2023, the PTAB issued final written decisions in IPR2022-00578 and IPR2022-00579, filed by Celltrion on two patents related to tocilizumab — U.S. Patent Nos. 8,580,264 and 10,874,677, owned by Chugai Seiyaku Kabushiki Kaisa, Genentech, Inc, and Hoffmann La Roche, Inc. The ’264 patent claims are directed to…
Yesterday, Genentech, Inc., Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc., and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Genentech”) filed BPCIA litigation against Biogen MA Inc. and Bio-Thera Solutions, Ltd. in the District of Massachusetts. In its Complaint, Genentech asserts that Biogen is seeking FDA approval “to commercialize ‘BIIB800,’ a proposed biosimilar to Genentech’s drug Actemra® (tocilizumab).” Genentech…
FDA’s Purple Book provides a searchable database of licensed biological products and includes the patent information provided to biosimilar applicants during the BPCIA patent dance. Pursuant to a law enacted in late 2020, a reference product sponsor must provide patent information to FDA for listing in the Purple Book once…
This week, Bio-Thera Solutions announced that the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved BAT1806, a biosimilar of ACTEMRA (tocilizumab). BAT1806 is approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA), and cytokine release syndrome (CRS), and is the first tocilizumab biosimilar approved by any…
On December 9, 2022, Biogen announced that the FDA has accepted for review an aBLA for BIIB800, Biogen’s tocilizumab biosimilar candidate. BIIB800 references Genetech’s ACTEMRA product, which is an anti-interleukin-6 receptor monoclonal antibody indicated for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults as well as juvenile idiopathic polyarthritis and systemic…
The U.S. Patent Trials & Appeals Board (Board) recently issued an Order granting Celltrion’s motion to submit supplemental information in its IPR (2022-00578) against U.S. Pat. No. 8,580,264, owned by Chugai Seiyaku Kabushiki Kaisa, Genentech, Inc, and Hoffmann La Roche, Inc. As we previously reported, this is one of two…
On August 1, 2022, Fresenius Kabi announced that the FDA accepted for review its Biologics License Application (BLA) for MSB11456, a biosimilar candidate for ACTEMRA (tocilizumab). The BLA includes both subcutaneous (prefilled syringe and autoinjector) and intravenous administrations. This is the first BLA accepted by FDA for a tocilizumab biosimilar. …
On June 3, 2022, the PTAB instituted inter partes review of U.S. Patent No. 9,750,752 (“the ’752 patent”), owned by Chugai and Roche. Fresenius filed a petition for inter partes review of claims 1-16 of the ‘752 patent, directed to methods of treating giant cell arteritis by subcutaneously administering tocilizumab. …
Last week, the PTAB instituted inter partes review of two Chugai patents directed to methods of treating rheumatoid arthritis with a combination of tocilizumab and methotrexate. Fresenius filed petitions for inter partes review on U.S. Patent Nos. 7,521,052 (“the ’052 patent”) and 10,744,201 (“the ’201 patent”) on June 28, 2021. …