This article provides an update on our prior analysis of the infliximab litigation involving Janssen Biotech, Inc. (“Janssen”), Celltrion Healthcare Co. and Celltrion, Inc. (“Celltrion”), and Hospira Inc. (“Hospira”).
Briefly, when we last addressed this case, the litigation had already been narrowed to one patent, U.S. Patent No. 7,598,083 (“the ’083 patent”). Further, there were
Introduction
The Amgen, Inc. and Amgen Manufacturing, Limited (“Amgen”) litigation against Hospira, Inc. (“Hospira”), filed in September 2015, was one of the earliest cases filed under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (“BPCIA”). The case involves Hospira’s proposed biosimilar to Amgen’s Epogen®/Procrit® (epoetin alfa). The procedural posture is somewhat complicated, as
Introduction and Background
The Apotex filgrastim/pegfilgrastim biosimilar litigation was the first biosimilar litigation where the parties participated in the patent dance. As a result, important issues regarding the interpretation of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (the “BPCIA”) were raised, including whether a biosimilar applicant (“(k) applicant”) must give 180-days’ notice to the reference
Editors’ Note: Although the BPCIA was enacted seven years ago, to date, only four biosimilar products have been approved by the FDA, and only two of those products are commercially available to patients in the United States – Sandoz’s Zarxio® (a filgrastim biosimilar to Amgen’s Neupogen®) and Celltrion and Hospira’s Inflectra® (an infliximab biosimilar to
Introduction
The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (“BPCIA”) created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products shown to be “highly similar” to already FDA-approved biological products. By permitting the sponsor of a biological product to rely on data submitted by the holder of an FDA-approved biological product, the BPCIA is somewhat similar in concept
On January 12, 2017, FDA released its long-awaited final guidance on naming of biologics and biosimilars, entitled “Nonproprietary Naming of Biological Products.” According to FDA, the nonproprietary naming convention provided in the final guidance is intended to aid pharmacovigilance and to help prevent confusion and inadvertent substitution.
FDA’s newly-issued guidance covers the nonproprietary naming convention