The FDA has only approved eight biosimilar products to date. The second most recently approved biosimilar is Mvasi (bevacizumab-awwb), which is manufactured by Amgen and was approved as a biosimilar to Genentech’s Avastin (bevacizumab) on September 14, 2017.[1]

On October 6, 2017—about three weeks after the FDA approved Mvasi—Amgen provided Genentech with a notice

Samsung Bioepis (“Bioepis”) has joined a growing list of challengers to Genentech’s U.S. Patent No. 6,407,213 (“the ʼ213 patent”) issued to Carter, et al. by filing two new petitions for inter partes review (“IPR”).  The ʼ213 patent, entitled “Method for Making Humanized Antibodies,” is generally directed to antibodies with humanized variable domains comprising non-human complementarity

Amgen and Allergan recently announced that they submitted a Biologics License Application (“BLA”) for ABP 980, a proposed biosimilar to Genentech’s Herceptin® (trastuzumab), to the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”).  According to the press release, Amgen and Allegan have “formed a collaboration to develop and commercialize, on a worldwide basis, four oncology antibody biosimilar medicines.”

Novartis’ First CAR-T Cell Therapy Tisagenlecleucel (CTL019)

The FDA’s Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee (“ODAC”) held a public meeting on Wednesday, July 12, 2017, to consider Novartis’ biologic license application (BLA 125646) for tisagenlecleucel (CTL019), an investigational chimeric antigen receptor T cell (“CAR-T”) therapy.  Novartis is seeking approval of CTL019 for the treatment of patients from

On May 25, 2017, Pfizer, Inc. (“Pfizer”) filed two new petitions for inter partes review (“IPR”) of U.S. Patent No. 6,407,213 (“the ’213 patent”).  The ‘213 patent, entitled “Method for Making Humanized Antibodies,” issued on June 18, 2002.  Although the IPR petitions do not identify a particular biologic, Genentech has publicly stated that the technology

Hospira, Inc. (“Hospira”) filed a petition with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) on September 16, 2016 for inter partes review (“IPR”) of U.S. Patent No. 7,807,799 (“the ’799 patent”) related to Genentech’s Herceptin® (trastuzumab).  On March 15, 2017, the PTAB issued a decision instituting review of claims 1–3 and 5–11 of the

The FDA has accepted for review an application submitted by Mylan N.V. (“Mylan”) and Biocon Ltd. (“Biocon”) under the 351(k) pathway for MYL-1401K, a proposed biosimilar to Amgen’s Neulasta® (pegfilgrastim).  According to the announcement, the BSUFA date (FDA’s target goal) for a decision on the application is October 9, 2017.

The FDA has not