The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) held its monthly meeting on March 23-26, 2020. During the meeting, the CHMP reported important updates on the status of the approval process for biosimilars relating to etanercept and rituximab.

  • Nepexto® (Etanercept)

At the meeting, the CHMP adopted a positive opinion that recommended

  • Since November 2019, biosimilar versions of pegfilgrastim, rituximab, bevacizumab, and trastuzumab have launched in the United States.
  • FDA approved fifth Humira® (adalimumab) biosimilar, but it will not launch until 2023.
  • FDA approved third Neulasta® (pegfilgrastim) biosimilar and all three have launched.
  • FDA approved fourth Remicade® (infliximab) biosimilar.

As pharmaceutical drug costs attract increasing media attention

  • FDA approves fourth Humira® (adalimumab) biosimilar with launch delayed to 2023.
  • FDA approves second Rituxan® (rituximab) biosimilar, neither of which has launched.
  • FDA approves second Avastin® (bevacizumab) biosimilar, which is expected to launch in late 2019.
  • FDA approves fifth Herceptin® (trastuzumab) biosimilar, which launched in July 2019.
  • European Medicines Agency has not approved any new

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the E.U. European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that Slovakia has beeen added to a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) regarding good manufacturing practice (GMP) inspections in the European Union.  Slovakia was the last of the 28 member states of the European Union to be recognized as capable of

  • 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

  • Coherus launches UdenycaTM, a pegfilgrastim biosimilar, in the United States.
  • Pfizer launches Retacrit®, an epoetin alfa biosimilar, in the United States.
  • FDA approves the first rituximab biosimilar, although it has not yet launched in the United States.
  • European Medicines Agency approves third, fourth, and fifth pegfilgrastim biosimilars and a fifth trastuzumab biosimilar, while

  • European Medicines Agency approves first two pegfilgrastim biosimilars and another adalimumab biosimilar
  • Pfizer launches NivestymTM, a filgrastim biosimilar, in the United States
  • Only five of twelve approved biosimilars have launched in the United States

As pharmaceutical drug costs attract increasing media attention and political scrutiny, a growing number of biosimilar drugs are set

  • FDA approves first Neulasta® (pegfilgrastim) and Procrit® (epoetin alfa) biosimilars and second Neupogen® (filgrastim biosimilar)
  • European Medicines Agency approves third and fourth trastuzumab, fourth infliximab, and fifth, sixth and seventh adalimumab biosimilars
  • Only four of twelve approved biosimilars have launched in the United States

As pharmaceutical drug costs attract increasing media attention and political scrutiny,

Earlier this month, the U.S. FDA announced approval of Mylan’s Fulphila biosimilar to Neulasta® (pegfilgrastim).  Neulasta® was developed by Amgen and first approved in the U.S. and Europe in 2002.  Following the approval announced on June 4, 2018, Fulphila, which was co-developed with Biocon, becomes the first biosimilar to pegfilgrastim approved in the U.S.

The

  • European Medicines Agency approves second trastuzumab and third insulin glargine biosimilars
  • FDA has not approved any biosimilar drug in 2018
  • Only three of nine approved biosimilars have launched in the United States

As pharmaceutical drug costs attract increasing media attention and political scrutiny, a growing number of biosimilar drugs are set to enter the U.S.