05 Oct 21 | EU | Celltrion announced that it has submitted a Marketing Authorisation Application to the EMA seeking approval of regdanvimab for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults who do not require supplemental oxygen therapy and who are at increased risk of progressing to severe COVID-19.
08 Oct 21 | US | A new study published in Stat News reported that the aggregate savings enabled by biosimilars in the US was 4.3 times higher than that of generics.
09 Oct 21 | AU | The Australian reported that Australian pharmacists have raised concerns over proforma letters provided by AbbVie to prescribing doctors (specialist rheumatologists and gastroenterologists) and public hospital clinics instructing chemists to only dispense Humira® branded adalimumab rather than biosimilar adalimumab.
12 Oct 21 | EU | The Korea Herald announced that Celltrion has submitted a Marketing Authorisation Application to the EMA for CT-P16 (proposed bevacizumab biosimilar).
13 Oct 21 | US | Merck announced that the FDA has approved Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) plus chemotherapy, with or without bevacizumab, as a treatment for patients with persistent, recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer whose tumours express PD-L1.
15 Oct 21 | US | Boehringer Ingelheim announced that FDA has approved Cyltezo® (biosimilar adalimumab) as the first biosimilar designated as interchangeable with Humira® (adalimumab). Cyltezo® is a 50 mg/mL “citrate free” (ie acetate buffered) product, and the “interchangeable” designation will be limited to only some of the Humira® products, unless FDA responds favourably to the citizen petition lodged by Boehringer Ingelheim in December 2020 requesting FDA to interpret the term “strength” in legislation in section 351(k) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(k) in a manner which would extend BI’s interchangeability designation to all formulations delivering the same amount of active (irrespective of concentration). The FDA stated in a May 2021 interim response that it has been unable to made a decision on the CP to date “because it raises complex issues requiring extensive review and analysis by Agency officials”.
15 Oct 21 | EU | Merck and Eisai announced that the CHMP has adopted positive opinions recommending the approval of the combination of Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) plus Lenvima®/Kisplyz® (lenvatinib) for the first-line treatment of adults with advanced renal cell cancer and for the treatment of adults with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma.