Tag: Celltrion

Is Celltrion Paving a New Road for Biosimilars? A New Route of Administration Being Tested for Infliximab

When payers, patients, or physicians discuss biosimilars, they assume that the biosimilar works just like the reference product. They also assume that the biosimilar is administered in the same way as the originator biologic. Celltrion is actively researching a new subcutaneous infliximab. This could result in a first for the biosimilar industry.

Sponsored by Celltrion and conducted in multiple sites, the research results were announced at the annual meeting of the European Congress of Rheumatology in June. The investigators presented outcomes data on the use of a subcutaneous (SC) form of infliximab-dyyb. Currently, infliximab is only available as an intravenous (IV) infusion at the physician’s office that takes at least 2 hours. Subcutaneous infliximab was given on a biweekly basis.

subcutaneous infliximabThe researchers studied 48 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, finding that outcomes were not clinically different through 30 weeks of follow-up. Three dosages were tested, and in this small study, no ACR20 differences were reported in any subgroup receiving infliximab infusions or SC injections.

Hypersensitivity reactions did occur in one patient each receiving the lowest dose (90 mg) SC and the middle dose (120 mg). None were seen in the group receiving the highest infliximab SC dose (180 mg). Injection site reactions occurred in two patients apiece in the 90 mg and 180 mg dose cohorts. receiving subcutaneous infliximab. The formation of antidrug antibodies was detected in nine patients receiving the standard infusion, but less than half that number in each of the subcutaneous groups.

Currently, infliximab treatment requires a lengthy office visit for each infusion (every 8 wk in the maintenance phase). It is one of the key limiting factors to its use. A self-injectable formulation should result in lower administration costs, and the potential for covering the agent through the pharmacy benefit.

A phase 1, open-label trial of subcutaneous infliximab has already been conducted by Celltrion in patients with Crohn’s disease. That trial found similar outcomes between the SC and IV formulations. Another phase 1 trial is wrapping up, this one evaluating safety and pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers. Celltrion is also sponsoring a phase 3 trial of more than 300 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Preliminary results will not be available until December 2018.

It is not yet clear, however, what type of data the Food and Drug Administration would require for approval of a new formulation of a biosimilar. The regulatory agency may decide to treat this as it would a new route of administration for any approved product, which would focus on pharmacokinetic and pharmacology factors. Celltrion seems to be covering all of its bases.

FDA Approval Eludes Amgen for Biosimilar Trastuzumab

Amgen will have to wait a bit longer to market its biosimilar version of trastuzumab . On Friday, June 1, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected Amgen’s 351(k) application for its Herceptin® biosimilar. biosimilar trastuzumab approvalIn a brief press release, Amgen announced receiving the complete response letter for ABP 980. In the announcement, it also said that the delay in its biosimilar trastuzumab approval should not “impact our US launch plan.” This may signal that even if it received approval, it would not market the biosimilar trastuzumab immediately.

The timing of the FDA announcement on the biosimilar trastuzumab approval contrasted with the near-simultaneous marketing authorization of this same trastuzumab biosimilar by the European Medicines Agency. The biologic will be marketed in Europe under the trade name Kanjinti™.

Mylan/Biocon’s Ogivri™ remains the only biosimilar trastuzumab approved by the FDA. It is not yet marketed, however. Separate trastuzumab biosimilars by Teva/Celltrion and Pfizer have been stalled by the FDA. Samsung Bioepis’s entry is due for an FDA approval decision in the fourth quarter of 2018.

In related biosimilar news… in September 2017, Mylan filed a 505(b)2 application for its insulin glargine agent. The manufacturing duo of Mylan and Biocon received a rejection from the FDA on June 1. The complete response letter specified issues raised by a change in manufacturing site (from one in India to a new facility in Malaysia). As reported by the Economic Times, the complete response letter was expected by Mylan and Biocon. They told the Economic Times, “Together, Mylan and Biocon are already executing on all required activities we had agreed upon with the FDA, and they are progressing according to plan,” the statement said.

Although insulins are not currently approved through the 351(k) biosimilar pathway, they are among the “transitional agents,” which by 2020 will be considered biosimilars by the FDA.

Celltrion Bounces Back, Resubmits for FDA Approval of Rituximab Biosimilar

Anticipating that its issues with the Incheon, South Korea, manufacturing plant will be resolved, Celltrion has resubmitted its biologic license application for a rituximab biosimilCelltrion rituximab biosimilarar (CT-P10).

In the April 2018 complete response letters sent by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on CT-P10 and the trastuzumab biosimilar CT-P6, FDA cited aseptic practices at the manufacturing plant that it announced in January. The resubmission should mean that a decision will come within six months of the application date, keeping it in the race for the first rituximab biosimilar.

Celltrion, in its announcement, also affirmed that it intends to resubmit its application for its trastuzumab biosimilar in June. In its press release, Celltrion stated, “Celltrion has made progress addressing the concerns raised by the FDA in the warning letter and is committed to working with the Agency to fully resolve all outstanding issues with the highest priority and urgency.”

This marks the quickest turnaround seen yet for reapplication following an FDA rejection of a biosimilar. Truxima® is the brand name of Celltrion’s rituxumab biosimilar that is approved in Europe.

In other biosimilar news…The European Commission announced a proposal that would enable biosimilar manufacturers to produce and export their products before EU full intellectual property rights terminate. This would obviate Special Protection Certificates, which were created in 1992. Under these certificates, intellectual property rights continue for 5 years after EU patent expiration. The announced change would be implemented by end of this year. It will mark the end of special compensation to pharmaceutical industry for the extended period required for research, development, and regulatory approval.

Sandoz biosimilars

Sandoz’s biosimilar version of infliximab has been approved by the European Medicines Agency. Dubbed Zessly™ this agent was the fourth infliximab biosimilar approved in Europe.

FDA Hands Sandoz a Rejection on Its Rituximab Biosimilar

Sandoz announced today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided not to approve its biosimilar version of the oncology biosimilar rituximab. The content of the complete response letter was not revealed by Sandoz.

This marks the second rituximab biosimilar rejected by the FDA. Celltrion and Teva’s Truxima™ was also rejected in early April. Both Sandoz’s biosimilar (Rixathon™) and Truxima™ are marketed in Europe and in other parts of the globe. In Europe, Rixathon was approved in June 2017, and Truxima received marketing authorization in February of that year.

Although the European approval for Rixathon was for all of Rituxan/MabThera’s oncology and autoimmune indications, Sandoz was seeking oncology indications only in the US with its rituximab biosimilar.

Sandoz registered early success with filgrastim (Zarxio®) and etanercept (Erelzi®), but was handed a set back from FDA on its biosimilar pegfilgrastim. We’ll report any updates we receive on Sandoz’s progress in resolving the issues in question with rituximab.

Next up is the Allergan/Amgen biosimilar of trastuzumab, which has an FDA PDUFA date of May 28.

Pfizer Receives FDA Rejection on Trastuzumab, Next up Is Amgen/Allergan

When Pfizer announced that it received a complete response letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the wait for an available biosimilar to Herceptin® just got longer. According to the manufacturer, the FDA specified that the reasons for the rejection of PF-05280014 were not related to clinical questions. The rejection was not associated with manufacturing plant problems, which have tripped up biosimilar manufacturers, including Pfizer, in the past. Instead, the FDA cited the need for additional data related to “technical issues.”

The next potential team up at bat for a trastuzumab biosimilar approval is Amgen and Allergan. A decision on their biosimilar should be rendered before the end of the second quarter. To date, only Mylan/Biocon have obtained approval on this oncologic product (Ogivri™). However, the launch has been delayed by their signing an agreement with Roche, the maker of the reference product. Teva/Celltrion had received a rejection from FDA relating to manufacturing issues in early April, setting back their own marketing timetable.

Even if Pfizer did receive approval at this time, Roche had sued the company in November 2017 for patent infringement. Pfizer had elected to launch at risk with Inflectra®, despite looming legal battles with Janssen over Remicade®, so an immediate launch of their trastuzumab biosimilar could not be ruled out.

Like the situation with pegfilgrastim, gaining competition for trastuzumab is proving frustrating for payers. Obviously, it will occur, but the latest news does not alleviate payers concerns over price increases in the oncology area.

With the Samsung Bioepis Deal, Abbvie Tightening Its Grip on the US Adalimumab Market

Samsung Bioepis and Biogen has reached a deal with Abbvie that would enable it to market its biosimilar adalimumab (should it be granted approval) in June 2023. This is the second deal Abbvie has made with a potential competitor, confirming the solidity of its patent wall. The European patent expires in October 2018, and competitors will be able to sell biosimilars over the pond unhindered at that time.

However, without competition, most expect unencumbered price increases until a US biosimilar introduction. In other words, biosimilars will not make an appreciable impact on the cost of adalimumab in the US market, unless another biosimilar manufacturer decides to launch at risk in the near future.

A Deal Prior to FDA Approval

The agent, SB5 has not yet been filed for approval in the US. Samsung filed its application for approval in the EU in July 2016 and was authorized by the European Medical Agency in August 2017. Biogen will market the agent for Samsung, whenever it is launched.

Amgen inked a deal with Abbvie in September 2017, effectively ending its patent battle. This deal gives Amgen a jump on other competitors that reach settlements with Abbvie, by allowing a launch in January 2023. In addition, other manufacturers are working on adalimumab biosimilars, including Coherus and Sandoz. The biggest question though is Boehringer Ingelheim’s move, as they have the only other FDA-approved adalimumab biosimilar approved on the marketplace (but also unlaunched). Boehringer responded to our request but declined to comment on its plans mAbbvie produces Humira (adalimumab)oving forward with the product, including a targeted launch date.

Without Competition, Expect 45% Jump in WAC Price 

As addressed earlier in this space, the time to effective competition for a US biosimilar adalimumab is crucial. Abbvie’s annual global revenue on the product may reach as much as $21 billion, with the last price increase registered in January, at 9.7%. Assuming Abbvie sticks to its pledge of no more than one

10% price increase per year, that would result in a wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of more than $52,000 at the close of 2022, or a 45% jump from today’s WAC. This figure does not reflect individual negotiated rates (including rebates) that health plans and insurers actually pay. Yet, it does roughly indicate what type of discount will be necessary when biosimilars reach the market to simply attain the cost paid in 2018—that is, no more savings. Without competition before 2023, this may be the one area where payers pray for a rapid and bracing race to the bottom on price once 2023 rolls around. With Abbvie’s hand continuing on the tiller, don’t plan on it.

In other biosimilar news…Celltrion acknowledged that it is seeking to rectify the manufacturing plant issues that torpedoed its FDA approval of biosimilars for trastuzumab and rituximab. In the statement, it noted, “Celltrion is confident that the issues raised by the FDA will be resolved in a timely manner.

We can confirm that the resubmission will be in-place relatively soon. Then, we are expecting approvals in 6 months after resubmission according to regulatory timeline.”

Teva and Celltrion Receive Rejections on Trastuzumab and Rituximab Biosimilars

Celltrion and its partner Teva were dealt a significant blow today, as the Korean manufacturer announced that the latest two biosimilar candidates were rejected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Celltrion logo1As first reported by Dan Stanton in the Biopharma Reporter, the FDA issued complete response letters as a result of inspection problems uncovered at Celltrion’s manufacturing facility in Incheon, Korea. Celltrion initially receive the negative inspection report in January of this year, which highlighted deficiencies in aseptic practices and processing, and failure to investigate variations in batches.Teva

Under the partners’ pact, signed in 2016, Teva would commercialize the two biosimilars. Teva has a separate concern, however, in that the same Celltrion plant cited by the FDA has been tabbed to produce its CGRP-inhibitor fremanezumab for migraine prevention. This migraine prevention antibody, which also has the potential to reach sales of $1 billion, has a PDUFA date of mid-June.

In a statement published by Mr. Stanton, a Celltrion spokesperson said, “Celltrion is making progress addressing the concerns raised by the FDA in a Warning Letter issued in January and is committed to working with the agency to fully resolve all outstanding issues with the highest priority and urgency.”

The issuance of the CRLs may be extremely poor timing for the partners. Although Mylan signed an agreement with Roche to delay the launch of its approved biosimilar version of Herceptin® until at least 2019, the other competitors have not. Amgen/Allergan expect word on their 351(k) submission within the month, and Samsung Bioepis should hear in the fourth quarter. On the rituximab front, Sandoz should receive word early in the third quarter.

Celltrion and Inflectra, Mylan and Botox, and a Biosimilar Blooper

The second quarter is expected to be rife with news regarding Food and Drug Administration approval decisions on a biosimilar for rituximab and two pending applications for trastuzumab. Although biosimilars have not generated much news of importance lately, we wrap up the week with some items of interest.

Celltrion and Pfizer's Inflecta biosimilar form of infliximabFirst, Celltrion estimates that it will conclude a phase 1 pharmacokinetics trial of its infliximab biosimilar (Inflectra®) in a new subcutaneous route by July 2018. This could potentially be important, if successful, because Inflectra, the originator product Remicade®, and Renflexis® are only available for administration through intravenous infusions (normally at the physician’s office, given over the course of multiple hours). One of the attractions of other anti-TNF products for use in Crohn’s disease and other immunologic disorders (e.g., adalimumab, ustekinumab) is the availability of subcutaneous autoinjectors or prefilled syringes, allowing it to be given at home, and much more rapidly. This could potentially widen the infliximab market a bit.

Second, Mylan announced an agreement with the California-based company Revance Therapeutics to develop and commercialize a biosimilar form of onabotulinumtoxin A or Botox®. The popular injectable botulinum toxin derivative has been used since Allergan's Botox the 1990s for cosmetic indications as well as for muscle spasms and even for the prevention of chronic migraine. Interestingly, Revance, a biotech development company, is currently focused on another neuromuscular modulator, daxibotulinumtoxinA, principally for cervical dystonia (phase 2) and plantar fasciitis (phase 1).

Finally, the New England Journal of Medicine published a biosimilar blooper on Wednesday, when author Richard G. Frank, PhD, of the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, attempted to provide some perspective on the slow availability of biosimilars in the US. He wrote that 7 biosimilars were now available for use; this of course is a misstatement. Nine biosimilars have been approved for use in the US but only 3 New England Journal of Medicine's biosimilar blooper(2 for infliximab) were actually marketed. Surprisingly, this made it past the N Engl J Med reviewers and editors. Dr. Frank also emphasized that “secrecy about manufacturing processes” was a significant barrier; however, this is probably less a problem than prospective biosimilar manufacturers trying to obtain samples of the reference product for characterization and comparison during preclinical and clinical development.

Pfizer US Biosimilar Revenues Growing Slowly, Better News Internationally

According to an article posted on the Market Realist website, Pfizer’s US and global biosimilars revenues are growing, but its sales of Inflectra® remainPfizer Headquarters stunted.

In the fourth-quarter of 2017, the New York–based company posted US biosimilar revenues of $44 million—all attributable to its infliximab biosimilar. The product was launched in Q4 2016 (and gained only $4 million in revenues), but the revenue was reported to be somewhat higher than in Q3 2017. Total 2017 Inflectra revenue was $118 million.

Internationally, where Pfizer not only markets Inflectra, but its Retacrit® form of epoetin alpha and its Nivestim® brand of filgrastim, biosimilars contributed $531 million to the bottom line in 2017, an increase of 37% compared to the previous year.

There is little doubt that Pfizer’s US Inflectra revenues will continue to increase, but competition from Samsung/Merck’s Renflexis® and Janssen Biotech’s continuing heavy rebates on Remicade® should prove challenging to Pfizer. Merck has not yet reported its Q3 or Q4 sales of Renflexis, which was only launched in July 2017.

Pfizer’s second US biosimilar approval was also for an infliximab biosimilar (a legacy product from its Hospira acquisition). This agent, infliximab-qbtx, dubbed Ixifi™, was approved in December 2017 and will apparently not be launched in the US.

 

Its next big splash into the US biosimilars market may not occur in 2018. Its rituximab biosimilar (PF-05280586) met its primary outcomes measures in a phase 3 trial, as announced in January, but no target date has been yet reported for its 351(k) application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, this product may face stiff competition from Celltrion and Sandoz for their rituximab biosimilars currently being reviewed by the FDA. Celltrion is partnered with Mylan (not Pfizer) in the commercialization of its rituximab biosimilar.

Pfizer’s At-Risk Launch of Inflectra Pays Off (at Least a Bit)

The US Court of Appeals handed Pfizer a big victory in its gamble to bring its biosimilar version of Remicade® to the market before the completion of patent litigation. On January 23, the Appeals Court ruled that Johnson & Johnson’s ‘471 patent in the case was declared invalid, clearing the way for sales of Inflectra® (infliximab-dyyb). Had Pfizer lost the suit, J&J could have sought Inflectra’s (and Samsung/Merck’s Renflexis®’s) revenues in addition to other damage claims.

Remicade’s ‘471 patent expiration was September 2018, but the US Patent and Trademark Office earlier ruling contended that the antibodies at the center of this patent were already included in patents that had previously expired.

Remicade is manufactured and sold by J&J’s subsidiary, Janssen Biotech.

In a widely publicized case, Pfizer sued J&J in September 2017 for anticompetitive practices, which it believes held down the sales of Inflectra to a spare $74 million for the first three quarters of last year. Although J&J is seeking to appeal the decision, with the patent expiration date looming, as well as limited sales of Inflectra, this would seem to be of relatively little benefit.

In any case, J&J is wary of losing marketshare and revenues on Remicade. According to Bloomberg News, Janssen Biotech saw fourth-quarter revenues from the biologic drop almost 10%, to $1.47 billion. Increasing competition from other biologics for similar indications and other biosimilar versions of infliximab worldwide have contributed to reduced sales.