Last week, Coherus BioSciences, Inc. (“Coherus”) announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved YUSIMRY™, an adalimumab biosimilar. YUSIMRY™ is a tumor necrosis factor blocker approved as a subcutaneous formulation. It is indicated for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis. This is
PTAB Agrees to Review Novartis’ Patent for an Ophthalmic Injection Syringe
On October 26, 2021, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) granted Regeneron’s petition to institute an inter partes review (IPR) of Novartis’s patent U.S. Pat. No. 9,220,631 (“the ’631 patent”), which covers a pre-filled glass syringe for injecting a VEGF-antagonist into the eye. This is the second time the PTAB reviewed Regeneron’s petition to…
Takeaways from FDA’s Approval of the First Interchangeable Biosimilar for Humira®
On October 15, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved Boehringer Ingelheim’s Cyltezo® (adalimumab-adbm), the first interchangeable biosimilar to AbbVie’s blockbuster immunosuppressant Humira® (adalimumab). We previously discussed Boehringer Ingelheim’s Citizen Petition requesting a change in the FDA’s interpretation of “strength” of biological products under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (“BPCIA”). The…
Changes to the Purple Book: Progress in Transparency
The recently enacted “Purple Book Continuity Act of 2019” went into effect as of June 25, 2021. The FDA must proactively update the Purple Book information every 30 days with an alphabetical list of licensed biologics, including the date of marketing application approval and the marketing/licensure status. Additionally, there is now a potentially higher price…
‘The Sky is [Not] Falling,’ Federal Circuit Urges as it Continues to Dismantle Broad Pharmaceutical Patents
On June 21, 2021, the Federal Circuit denied Amgen’s petition for en banc review of the court’s February 2021 decision in Amgen Inc. et al. v. Sanofi, Aventisub LLC, et al., 987 F.3d 1080 (Fed. Cir. 2021), which found that Amgen’s two patents covering the cholesterol-lowering antibody drug Repatha® are invalid for lack of…
FDA Accepts Bio-Thera’s BLA for Bevacizumab Biosimilar
On January 28, 2021, Bio-Thera Solutions, Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company based in China, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted its Biologics License Application (BLA) for BAT1706, a proposed biosimilar to bevacizumab, referencing Genentech’s Avastin®, but excluding indications under orphan drug exclusivity protection. The FDA has set November 27, 2021,…
Patent Listings and Other Information Coming to the Purple Book
The COVID-19 relief and spending bill signed into law on December 27, 2020, includes a provision – Division BB, Title III, Subtitle C, Section 325[1] – that adds a new paragraph 9 to 42 U.S.C. §262(k) requiring the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”) to provide more information to the public about patented biological…
FDA Accepts Review of Samsung Bioepis and Biogen’s Ranibizumab Biosimilar
On November 18, 2020, companies Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd. and Biogen Inc. announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) accepted for review the Biologics License Application for SB11, a proposed biosimilar referencing Genentech, Inc. product Lucentis® (ranibizumab). Ranibizumab is an anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) therapy for retinal vascular disorders, which are…
Biocon Biologics and Mylan Announce U.S. Launch of Insulin Glargine Product Semglee
Pharmaceutical companies Biocon Biologics and Mylan announced at the end of last month the U.S. launch of their long-acting insulin glargine product Semglee. Semglee was approved in June as an equivalent to Sanofi’s reference product insulin glargine, Lantus.
The companies are launching Semglee at a “65% discounted list price,” calling it the lowest wholesale acquisition…
Teva and Alvotech Announce Partnership in the U.S. Biosimilar Market
Pharmaceutical companies Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Alvotech announced on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, that they will be entering into an exclusive partnership for the commercialization of biosimilar products in the United States. This partnership aims to combine Teva’s long-standing commercial presence and extensive infrastructure in the U.S. market with Alvotech’s scientific experience and state-of-the-art…