U.S. FDA approves first biosimilar rival to Roche's blockbuster eye drug

FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved South Korean drugmaker Samsung Bioepis Co Ltd and Biogen Inc’s biosimilar rival to Roche Holding AG’s blockbuster eye drug, Lucentis.

Biosimilars are cheaper versions of biologic drugs made from living organisms.

Lucentis, which already faces competition from Novartis AG’s Beovu, is approved to treat eye diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration and brought in sales of CHF 1.4 billion ($1.50 billion) in 2020.

The copycat version will be allowed to be marketed in the United States from next year June, as part of an agreement with Roche’s Genentech unit, the drug developers said in a joint statement.

($1 = 0.9304 Swiss francs)

Source: Read Full Article

Related posts:
  1. Mainland China reports 12 new COVID-19 cases vs 20 a day earlier
  2. Japan embarks on random and targeted COVID-19 testing, but some experts call for more
  3. Philippines reports highest daily rise in COVID-19 cases in almost six months
  4. Thailand reports 405 new coronavirus cases, no new deaths
Health News Comments Off on U.S. FDA approves first biosimilar rival to Roche's blockbuster eye drug