May 2019

On April 25, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved new biosimilar product EticovoTM (etanercept-ykro) by Samsung Bioepis.  Eticovo is a biosimilar to Enbrel® (etanercept), which is marketed by Amgen, Inc. (“Amgen”).  Like Enbrel, Eticovo was approved across five eligible indications for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic…

Recently, in Adello Biologics LLC v. Amgen Inc., Case PGR2019-00001 (Paper No. 13) (PTAB Apr. 19, 2019), the PTAB instituted post-grant review of claims 1-30 of U.S. Patent No. 9,856,287 (“the ’287 patent”).  The ’287 patent is the patent at issue in a pending litigation between Amgen and Apotex under the Biologics Price Competition…

  • FDA approves the second Enbrel® (etanercept) biosimilar—no etanercept biosimilar has launched in the United States to date.
  • FDA approves the fourth Herceptin® (trastuzumab) biosimilar—no trastuzumab biosimilar has launched in the United States to date.
  • European Medicines Agency approves ninth and tenth adalimumab biosimilars and second bevacizumab biosimilar.

As pharmaceutical drug costs attract increasing media attention…

Many factors contribute to the price that consumers pay for prescription drugs and biologics.  These factors include research and development costs, manufacturing costs, terms negotiated by insurance plans, supply and demand, and intellectual property rights.  Intellectual property rights are often viewed as one of the most significant factors driving high drug and biologic prices. In…