On 1 May 2025, Business Korea reported that, on 28 April 2025, Samsung Bioepis defeated Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Janssen Biotech’s application for a preliminary injunction preventing US sales of the private label version of Samsung Bioepis’ ustekinumab biosimilar.  J&J filed an appeal on 30 April 2025.  Neither the Court’s ruling on the preliminary injunction, nor the appeal filing, are publicly accessible as at 1 May 2025.

Subject to the outcome of the appeal, Samsung Bioepis is now clear to sell private label brands in the US, in addition to Pyzchiva® which Samsung Bioepis has been selling since February 2025.

J&J/Janssen commenced the US action on 24 February 2025, alleging that Samsung Bioepis had breached a settlement and licence agreement entered in July 2023 (announced in November 2023), permitting Samsung Bioepis to launch Pyzchiva® (SB17) (ustekinumab), biosimilar to J&J/Janssen’s Stelara®, in the US from 22 February 2025.  The settlement agreement resolved pending US patent litigation between the companies at the time it was signed.

The complaint, filed the same day on which the US launch of Pyzchiva® was announced, claimed that Samsung Bioepis had entered into an unauthorised sublicence with a private label provider, described in J&J’s complaint as a member of a vertically integrated health conglomerate that includes a health insurer, health care provider, pharmacy chain and pharmacy benefits manager (PBM).  According to J&J, the 2023 settlement agreement did not permit Samsung Bioepis to authorise the private label provider to launch in the US an additional, private label version of biosimilar ustekinumab.

Pyzchiva® was approved by the US FDA in July 2024 for multiple indications, including moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, active psoriatic arthritis and moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.  It is commercialised in the US (and Europe and Canada) by Sandoz pursuant to a deal entered into in September 2023 between Sandoz and Samsung Bioepis.

On 30 April 2025, Roche announced that the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion recommending an update to the European Union (EU) label for Phesgo® to allow administration outside of a clinical setting, such as in a person’s home, by a healthcare professional.  Phesgo® is a subcutaneous fixed-dose combination of Perjeta® (pertuzumab) and Herceptin® (trastuzumab), used to treat human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer.

Earlier this month, in its 2025 first quarter earnings call, Roche described its biosimilar exposure for its Perjeta® (pertuzumab) as “relatively limited” and “not a threat that we’re super worried about right now,” considering the lack of potential competitors in late-stage development or filing.  Roche believes that the most-advanced pertuzumab biosimilar, Henlius’ HLX11, is unlikely to enter the market until at least late 2027.

HLX11 is currently under consideration for regulatory approval in the EU (March 2025), US (February 2025) and China (December 2024).  In June 2022, Henlius entered into a licence agreement with Organon regarding HLX11 (and HLX14), under which Organon has exclusive global commercialisation rights to the biosimilars for all countries except China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

On 30 April 2025, when announcing its Q1/2025 financial results, Sandoz indicated that it will be “minimising” the Phase 3 trial of its biosimilar to MSD’s Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) in patients with untreated metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.  The decision reportedly follows communications between Sandoz and the US FDA and the EMA’s April 2025 reflection paper considering the possible waiver of comparative efficacy study requirements for biosimilars.

According to Sandoz, it will continue its Phase 1 trial as planned.  The Phase 1 trial is investigating the pharmacokinetic similarity and efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of Sandoz’s pembrolizumab biosimilar, GME751, compared with Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) in subjects with resected advanced melanoma requiring adjuvant treatment with pembrolizumab.

This follows a similar announcement by Formycon in February 2025 regarding the premature termination of its “Lotus” Phase 3 trial of FYB206, biosimilar to Keytruda®.  According to Formycon, following “intensive scientific dialogue” with the US FDA, it concluded that the Phase 3 study was no longer necessary for the development and US approval of FYB206.  Instead, Formycon proposes to rely on data from its ongoing Phase 1 trial (“Dahlia”), combined with “a comprehensive analytical program”.

On 30 April 2025, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved a subcutaneous (SC) formulation of BMS’ Opdivo® (nivolumab).  The SC formulation of nivolumab can be given as a 3–5 minute injection instead of the 30 or 60 minute intravenous (IV) infusion.

Amgen currently has a nivolumab biosimilar under development, having enrolled patients in a Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of Amgen’s ABP 206 compared with Opdivo®.  The study is expected to be completed in 2027.

Sandoz is also developing a biosimilar of nivolumab and is recruiting patients for an integrated Phase I/III trial in the advanced melanoma setting.

On 29 April 2025, Sandoz and Shanghai Henlius Biotech announced that they have entered into a global collaboration agreement to commercialise a biosimilar of BMS’ Yervoy® (ipilimumab).

Under the agreement, Henlius will develop and manufacture the biosimilar, HLX13, while Sandoz has the exclusive commercialisation rights in the US, Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia.  Henlius will receive an upfront payment of USD 31 million, and up to USD 270 million in milestone payments.

Ipilimumab is approved in combination with nivolumab (BMS’ Opdivo®) for metastatic melanoma and other cancers.  The Henlius deal will therefore complement Sandoz’s development of its own biosimilar to nivolumab, in relation to which Sandoz is recruiting patients for an integrated Phase I/III trial in the advanced melanoma setting.

At its April meeting, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion for Aurobindo Pharma’s subsidiary CuraTeQ’s Dazublys® (150 mg powder for concentrate for solution for infusion), biosimilar to Roche’s Herceptin® (trastuzumab).  The biosimilar is indicated for HER2-positive metastatic and early breast cancers.  According to Aurobindo, European Commission approval is expected in July 2025.

The first trastuzumab biosimilar was approved in the EU in November 2017 and in the US in December 2017.

On 25 April 2025, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended marketing approval for eight denosumab biosimilars.

Gedeon Richter’s Junod® and Yaxwer®, biosimilars to Amgen’s Prolia® and Xgeva® respectively, received positive opinions for all indications of the reference medicines.  The EMA had accepted Richter’s MAA for review in July 2024.  Gedeon Richter’s denosumab biosimilars are the first monoclonal antibodies in the company’s biosimilar portfolio.

Biocon Biologics’ Vevzuo® (reference: Xgeva®) and Denosumab BBL (brand name currently under approval) (reference: Prolia®) were also recommended by CHMP.  The European sponsor for the products is Biosimilar Collaborations Ireland Limited, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Biocon Biologics.

Positive recommendations were also given to mAbxience’s Izamby® and Zentiva’s Zadenvi®, both biosimilars to Prolia®.

To date, there have been three sponsors with denosumab biosimilars approved in Europe: Celltrion’s Stoboclo®/Ozenvelt® (February 2025), Samsung Bioepis’ Obodence™ and Xbryk™ (February 2025), and Sandoz’s Wyost® and Jubbonti® (May 2024).  Accord Healthcare’s Jubereq® and Osvyrti® received CHMP positive opinions in March 2025 and the EMA has accepted MAAs for a number of other denosumab biosimilars including for STADA/Alvotech (AVT03, October 2024), Teva (TVB-009P, October 2024), Fresenius Kabi (FKS518, July 2024), and Shanghai Henlius/Organon (HLX14, May 2024).

On 24 April 2025, Samsung Bioepis published its ninth quarterly US Biosimilar Market Report, which has been released every quarter since April 2023.  The report details average sales price (ASP) and wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) information for commercially available biosimilars in the US.

The Q2/2025 edition reports that, as of March 2025, the FDA has approved a total of 73 biosimilars across 19 unique biological molecules, with 48 of those having launched in the US market.  Of note, in Q1/2025, six new ustekinumab biosimilars were launched in the US: Amgen’s Wezlana® (Jan 2025), Alvotech/Teva’s Selarsdi® (Feb 2025), Samsung Bioepis/Sandoz’s Pyzchiva® (Feb 2025), Biocon’s Yesintek (Feb 2025), Formycon/Fresenius Kabi’s Otulfi® (Mar 2025) and Celltrion’s Steqeyma® (Mar 2025).  According to Samsung Bioepis’ Report, ustekinumab biosimilar entrants provided steep WAC discounts of over 80%.  In comparison, Amgen’s Pavblu®, the only aflibercept biosimilar available in the US at the time of the Report, launched with WAC 12% lower than that of Regeneron’s Eylea®.

The Report also outlines reviews being undertaking by US and EU regulatory agencies for the purpose of streamlining biosimilar development: in particular, the EMA’s April 2025 reflection paper considering the possible waiver of comparative efficacy study requirements for biosimilars and the FDA’s guidance on biosimilar interchangeability.

On 24 April 2024, Halozyme Therapeutics announced that it has sued MSD (known as Merck in the US and Canada) for patent infringement in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.  Halozyme is alleging that MSD/Merck’s subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) infringes 15 patents owned by Halozyme in relation to MDASE subcutaneous delivery technology.

Halozyme’s complaint states that the patents “arise out of Halozyme’s extensive research” regarding “modifications to a human hyaluronidase, known as PH20” which, amongst other things “allows for rapid subcutaneous administration of therapeutic drugs”.  Halozyme alleges that MSD’s SC Keytruda® includes berahyaluronidase alfa, a modified PH20 which “includes the amino acid modifications … covered by the asserted patents”.

Halozyme is seeking damages and an injunction preventing the manufacture, sale and import of SC Keytruda® in the US.  MSD/Merck is yet to file its defence.

The lawsuit follows reports in March 2025 that Halozyme had offered MSD/Merck an opportunity to licence its MDASE patents.  At the time, a spokesperson from MSD/Merck said the enzyme used in SC Keytruda® was “developed independently” from Halozyme and that MSD/Merck “strongly believe” that any Halozyme patents that attempt to cover the enzyme variant are invalid.

MSD/Merck has filed petitions for post-grant review with the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenging the validity of ten of Halozyme’s US patents, eight of which are asserted in the litigation.  The petitions, which are currently pending, were filed between November 2024 and April 2025 in relation to: US 11952600, US 12018298, US 12152262, US 12123035, US 12110520, US 12054758, US 12060590, US 12049652, US 12104185 and US 12037618.

In November 2024, MSD revealed positive topline results from its Phase 3 trial evaluating SC pembrolizumab (MK-3475A), together with Alteogen’s berahyaluronidase alfa, administered with chemotherapy.  The SC pembrolizumab demonstrated noninferior pharmacokinetics compared to intravenous (IV) Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) in combination with chemotherapy, in adults with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).  At the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco on 14 January 2025, Merck/MSD announced an expected 2025 launch for SC Keytruda®.

On 24 April 2025, the outcomes of Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) March 2025 meeting were published, including recommendations for the listing of three biosimilars on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Sandoz’s natalizumab biosimilar, Tyruko® (300 mg in 15 mL vial for intravenous infusion) has been recommended for PBS-listing under the same circumstances as Biogen’s Tysabri®.  Tyruko®, which was developed by Polpharma Biologics, is the first and only biosimilar natalizumab to have been approved in Australia (4 April 2025).

Celltrion’s Omlyclo® (omalizumab), biosimilar to Genentech/Novartis’ Xolair®, was recommended for PBS-listing (as 75 mg/0.5 mL and 150 mg/1 mL PFS) for the treatment of uncontrolled severe asthma, uncontrolled severe allergic asthma and severe chronic spontaneous urticaria.  The PBAC considered that “the application of biosimilar uptake drivers to Omlyclo® would be clinically appropriate and would not impact cost effectiveness”.  Such biosimilar uptake drivers include an Authority Required requirement for the inclusion of an administrative note across all Omlyclo® listings encouraging use of the biosimilar brand for treatment naïve patients.  Omlyclo® is the first, and currently only, omalizumab biosimilar approved in Australia (November 2024).

Samsung Bioepis’ Epyztek® (ustekinumab) is recommended for PBS-listing for the same indications as its reference biologic, J&J’s Stelara®, in three forms: 45 mg/0.5 mL in a 0.5 mg PFS for injection, 90 mg/1 mL PFS for injection and solution for IV infusion 130 mg in 26 mL.  As for Omlyclo®, PBAC considered that the application of biosimilar uptake drives to Epyztek® would be appropriate.  Epyztek® was the fourth ustekinumab biosimilar to be approved in Australia in October 2024, following Celltrion’s SteQeyma®/CT-P43 (September 2024) and Amgen’s Wezlana® (January 2024) and Ajemnye® (May 2024).  Australia’s PBAC recommended Wezlana® for PBS listing at its March 2024 meeting.