This undated photo, provided by Samsung Bioepis Co., shows its factory.
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Samsung Bioepis Co. said Friday it has won approval from European authorities for the sale of its anticancer biosimilar drug, Aybintio.
The European Commission (EC) accepted Samsung Bioepis’ application to sell the bevacizumab biosimilar, also known as SB8, which references Switzerland-based Roche Holding’s blockbuster pill Avastin.
The drug was authorized for use by patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and metastatic breast cancer, the company said.
In 2019, Avastin raked in sales of 7.07 billion Swiss francs (US$7.5 billion) globally, with 1.79 billion Swiss franc sales coming from Europe.
Following the patent expiration on Avastin in Europe and the United States last year, global pharmaceutical giants have been racing to release biosimilars.
Aybintio, Samsung Bioepis’ fifth biosimilar in Europe, will join other authorized biosimilar bevacizumab products, including Amgen Inc.’s Mvasi and Pfizer Inc.’s Zirabev, in Europe.
Samsung Bioepis, established in 2012, is a joint venture between Samsung Biologics and Biogen Inc. Samsung BioLogics is a biopharmaceutical unit of South Korea’s top conglomerate, Samsung Group.
Other biosimilars under development by Samsung Bioepis are SB11, a biosimilar ranibizumab referencing Lucentis, and SB12, a biosimilar eculizumab referencing Soliris.
(Yonhap)
