On December 1, the team of Mylan and Biocon received their first biosimilar approval in the US, for an agent to compete with Roche’s Herceptin^®. The approval decision on this product was delayed 3 months owing to potential issues involving Biocon’s manufacturing facility. However, this marks the first biosimilar approved for trastuzumab, beating entries from Amgen/Allergan and Celltrion to the 351(k) finish line.

Dubbed Ogivri™ (trastuzumab-dkst), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the biosimilar to treat human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)–positive (HER⁺) breast cancer and HER2⁺ metastatic stomach cancer (gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma). The FDA’s Oncology Drug Advisory Committee voted unanimously to approve the drug, and it was originally scheduled for a decision in early September.

Scott Gottlieb, MD, the recently installed FDA Commissioner, stated, “The FDA continues to grow the number of biosimilar approvals, helping to promote competition that can lower health care costs. This is especially important when it comes to diseases like cancer that have a high cost burden for patients. We’re committed to taking new policy steps to advance our biosimilar pathway and promote more competition for biological drugs.”

Ogivri will carry the same Boxed Warning as Herceptin, regarding increased risks of heart disease (cardiomyopathy), infusions reactions, lung damage (pulmonary toxicity) and harm to a developing fetus (embryo-fetal toxicity).

The launch of the product may be delayed until 2019 or 2020, based on an agreement between Mylan and Roche. This could mean that although Ogivri is first approved, it may not be first launched.