In the absence of really big biosimilar stories with far-reaching implications, let’s start with some interesting bits on biosimilars to begin this week.
First, insulin maker Eli Lilly asked the Food and Drug Administration a very interesting question, in comments on the agency’s guidelines on transitional drugs. Lilly requested clarification of the rules under which it might introduce an authorized brand of insulin (that is, a lower-priced version of an existing insulin brand). The insulins are one group of medicines that is scheduled to transition to regulation under the Public Health Services Act in 2020, and thus be subject to formal biosimilar competition.
Second, Boehringer Ingelheim, which received FDA approval to market its adalimumab biosimilar Cyltezo® in August 2017, received a positive ruling in its patent litigation case with AbbVie. A federal court judge ruled that AbbVie, which makes the originator product Humira® must turn over all papers related to the Humira patents. This may actually move the court case out of the discovery phase, according to Fierce Healthcare, and potentially closer to an actual, early biosimilar launch. Third, Health Canada has decided not to add a four-character suffix onto the names of its biosimilars and biologics. Instead, it will rely on its specific drug identification number as well as the nonproprietary names to identify medications being taken. This of course, contrasts with the FDA’s practice. The FDA is the only major advanced regulatory system that requires the use of a suffix to distinguish biosimilars and their reference products. And it is not used by providers.
